LONDON, Ont. - The Western Mustangs kicked off their 2012 preseason in commanding fashion at Alumni Hall Friday night against York University, beating the visiting Lions 77-48.
While winning by such a wide margin to start any season is certainly positive for the 2012-2013 Mustangs, head coach Brian Cheng is focusing on a ‘one game at a time’ mentality, putting the amount of stock into the results befitting of an exhibition game.
“You have got to take every game as it comes and there were a lot of positives that we saw so that’s what we’ll take from it.”
Anchored by 20 points from veteran guard Jenny Vaughn and the physical play of first-year forward Mara Greunke at both ends of the court, the Mustangs quickly took command of the game, effectively putting the contest out of reach by the end of the first quarter.
The Mustangs were quick to close down the driving lanes on the defensive side, holding York to a 14.3 shooting percentage in the first quarter and keeping the Lions without a point until five minutes into the game. Coupled with the Mustang’s own 42.9 shooting percentage, the home team surged to a 17–6 lead in the opening ten minutes.
With the physical play of the Mustang’s inside the key, York was forced to rely on long three-point shots in the first half, scoring their first 18 points of the game from behind the arc on 50.0% three-point accuracy.
Despite their first half struggles, the Lions came out of the halftime break playing with more vigour and intensity than was visible in the first half. Facing a 19-point deficit, York cut the Mustang’s lead to 10 before Western caught up with their newly re-energized opponents, asserting their control once again to preserve their lead.
“We’ve got to execute our half court a bit better. I think in the third quarter, they amped up the pressure and we succumbed to that pressure a bit,” said Cheng. “But give us credit and give full credit to our ladies. They bent but they didn’t break and we took it back to [the Lions]. It was positive to see.”
By the end of the game, York was unable to overcome the 11 unanswered Mustang points to start the game. Western continued to dictate the pace of the match, out-performing the Lions in rebounds and turnovers on the way to a win for Western.
The well-rounded play from Greunke, a German U-20 National Team alumna, was encouraging for coach Cheng, though he does not want anyone to get carried away with expectations just yet.
“I think Mara is Mara,” said Cheng. “She’s going to have to take some time to learn and she has got an idea of what CIS is all about – she got an idea how hard we practice, how hard we prepare. It’s different from where she came from, from Germany.”
“I know Mara is going to do some good things but I don’t want to put the pressure on her to have unreal expectations because every situation will be new for her. To her credit she has responded positively to all the situations [so far].”
Greunke contributed in all facets of the game, playing the entire forty minutes and finishing with 15 points, 9 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. First year guard Cyrielle Recoura lead the Lions in scoring with 10 points.
The Western Mustangs continue their preseason Saturday night at Alumni Hall versus the visiting McGill Martlets. Tip-off is at 7:00 PM.
