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WINDSOR, Ont. - They haven't beat them in two meetings this year. They lost to them in the 2009 OUA West Final. Yet the Western Mustangs women's basketball team is a quietly confident bunch.
The Mustangs, ranked No. 9 in the CIS, travel to Windsor, Ont., Wednesday March 3 at 7 p.m. to face the No. 2 nationally ranked Lancers at the St. Denis Centre. The game will air live on www.ssncanada.ca and can also be heard live at www.chrwradio.com/listen/ or 94.9 FM in the London area.
While the mood of the Western team may confuse those just looking at the recent meetings, it seems pretty straightforward after taking pulse of the team in recent practices and following their 84-58 smashing of Lakehead on Feb. 27 at Alumni Hall in the OUA West semifinal.
The Mustangs have won eight of their last nine games and are "pretty healthy" for the first time this season according to coach Stephan Barrie.
All of this has helped to create a quiet confidence within the Western locker-room and entering as the underdog is just fine with them.
"A lot of people think it's certainly Windsor's spot in nationals to lose and it is Windsor's to lose. They are the heavy favourite entering the West Final," Barrie said. "They're pretty solid. We know we can compete with them and it comes down to execution for us."
Despite riding an 11-game winning streak, Barrie noted the Lancers won by just five points over Waterloo and three points over Wilfrid Laurier in February. Their only loss of the regular season came at home to McMaster, 66-50, on Jan. 16.
"They have been up and down and may not be the complete team they were last year. But Windsor's improved a tremendous amount over the past few years," Barrie said. "I don't sense pressure at all for us. I sense a very relaxed, very confident group, and we feel very good about where we're at."
The Mustangs fell to the Lancers 82-61 in the 2009 OUA West Final.
"I think last year's experience helps for sure," Barrie said. "I think Amanda (Anderson), having been there in that environment, that is the biggest factor in terms of leadership right now. I think people are just feeding off her calm state."
The St. Denis Centre has been a tough environment for Western in recent years, as the Mustangs have lost the last four games there. Western's last win there was a 73-65 decision on Feb. 11, 2007.
Western's last win over Windsor was over two years ago, a 93-76 win at Alumni Hall.
"It's become a tough place to play. But to our advantage, we've improved over the season quite a bit and we feel a lot better now than we did earlier in the year."
The Lancers are a team which can change games in a hurry with the ability to put runs together. Western is a team which has shown the ability to shut down opposing offences for stretches. It will make for a good matchup in the West Final.
"I think the statement we made (in the win over Lakehead) is we're focussed. We have played that well at times for a short period of time in games this season, I think the kids just have a different sense of urgency right now, that they know it's playoffs and they've been very good in last few practices and their attention to detail is really solid."
The winner of the OUA West Final will play the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the OUA Championship on Saturday March 6 at Montpetit Hall. Both the West and East champions qualify for the CIS Nationals, hosted by McMaster in Hamilton, Ont., March 12-14 at Burridge Gymnasium.
"Our program is progressing every year. Certainly that's how we feel," Barrie said. "Qualifying for nationals is the next step for our program in the big picture. We would like nothing more than for Lauren and Amanda get to nationals before their careers are over."
Previous Meetings
Jan. 6: Windsor 94 Western 81, St. Denis Centre
Amanda Anderson (Chatham, Ont.) led the Mustangs with 21 points in a game featuring seven lead changes and was tied at five different times in the game.
Led by the dominating play of forward Jessica Clemencon (St. Rambert, France), the Lancers, ranked No. 2 in the CIS remained undefeated at 9-0 in the regular season
Three other Mustangs scored in double digits including Lauren Parkes (London, Ont.) with 17 points and seven rebounds, Kelly Moulden (Dundas, Ont.) 14 points and three assists and Rebecca Moss (Waterloo, Ont.) with 11 points.
Western's inability to box out led to 22 offensive rebounds for Windsor
Clemencon had 36 points on an incredible 14 of 19 shooting. The international player was also 8 for 8 from the free throw line and added seven rebounds and three assists on the night.
Windsor held a 54-50 lead at the half after scrappy, back-and-forth play.
Jan. 20: Windsor 85 Western 75, Alumni Hall
The Lancers came from behind to defeat the Mustangs with major contributions from a player who didn't play in the first half and a Windsor-born freshman.
Windsor, ranked No. 3 nationally, improved to 12-1 to remain in first place in the OUA West, while Western fell to 10-3 to remain in second spot in the OUA West.
The Lancers won the season series 2-0 by a combined score of 179-156. It was Western's first regular season home loss of the 2009-10 season.
Katelyn Leddy (London, Ont.) played a strong game for the Mustangs, leading her squad with 19 points,12 rebounds, two steals and one block. Amanda Anderson (Chatham, Ont.) added 16 points for Western.
Freshman Lancers guard Miah-Marie Langlois (Windsor, Ont.) had a terrific game for her team with 16 points and nine assists, while Jessica Clemencon (St. Rambert, France) led Windsor with a game-high 22 points, along with nine boards.
Bojana Kovacevic (Windsor, Ont.), who did not play in the opening half, added 13 points.
Western held the rebounding advantage, 35-28, including a 16-10 edge on the offensive glass.
