GUELPH, Ont. - If this basketball match was a game of Clue, it would have been Amanda Anderson, with the dagger in the W.F. Mitchell Centre gymnasium.

The Western Mustangs rode the strong veteran play of Anderson (Chatham, Ont.) who finished with another game-high performance to give the visiting Mustangs a 61-51 win at W. F. Mitchell Centre in Guelph on Jan. 13.

FULL STATS

It's Anderson's sixth straight game with 19 points or better (it likely would have been seven straight had the RMC game not been forfeited). 

With the win, Western solidifies its second-place spot in the OUA West and improves to 9-2, while the Gryphons fall to 2-9 and remain tied with Waterloo for last place in the division.

Anderson finished with a game-high 25 points, with former Gryphon Katelyn Leddy (London, Ont.) and Rebecca Moss (Waterloo, Ont.) adding 10 rebounds each.

With a seven-point lead entering the fourth quarter, Anderson led with her strong defensive play and hit an open three-pointer to re-establish an eight-point Western lead midway through the period to put an end to a Guelph run of luck.

Anderson drained another three-pointer with just over three minutes left to stretch Western's lead to 56-47 and then two possessions later, drained a contested jumper to make it an 11-point lead.

On the following Mustangs possession, Anderson set up a three-pointer from Moss which made it a 14-point lead before closing out the game with a defensive board.

Anderson, who had just two turnovers and added three assists along with three steals and a trio of rebounds, was lethal from downtown, going 5-for-10 from three-point range.

Western led 30-18 at the half, thanks in large part to a strong defensive effort, spurred by an effective brand of pressure which made setting up a half-court offence for the Gryphons very difficult.

But Guelph pulled within four points in the third quarter after an early second-half string of Western turnovers, missed shots and failed ability to rebound.

The Mustangs continued to struggle on the defensive glass and the Gryphons pulled within two points at 30-28 before briefly taking a one-point lead at 32-31.

Mustangs head coach Stephan Barrie called a timeout leading by one point, and Western picked up a rebound off a missed Guelph free-throw and hit a three to start a seven-point run to close out the third quarter. 

Western entered the fourth and final quarter with a 43-38 lead and held on to the win after returning to full-court pressure.

The Mustangs host their third annual Shoot for a Cure game on Saturday Jan. 16 at 1 p.m. at Alumni Hall - for tickets and more information, please click here.