LONDON, Ont. – The Western Mustangs’ women’s basketball team used a second quarter offensive surge at Alumni Hall Saturday afternoon en route to a 67-64 upset win over the  visiting Laurier Golden Hawks, who entered the day in third place in the OUA West.

BOX SCORE

A pair of free throws by Katelyn Leddy with 41 seconds remaining put the Mustangs ahead by three and served as the final points of the game, as the Hawks were unable to connect on the other end.

With the win, Western (6-8) improved to 3-3 in the new year. The loss dropped Laurier to 9-5, but the Hawks remain in third place in the division. The Mustangs, meanwhile, sit in a tie for fifth.

Trailing by eight, 20-12, after the first quarter, the Mustangs exploded for 29 points in the second to take a 41-33 lead into the half. Laura Dally had 11 of those 41 first-half points on 5-of-9 shooting. As a team, the Western women shot 48.5% (16-for-33) in the opening two quarters. That number dropped to 41.7% in the second half, but it was still enough to hold off the Golden Hawks, who were held to 37.3% shooting overall.

Some of Western’s fist-half success can be attributed to their work on the boards. Despite facing the number two rebounding team in the conference, the Mustangs outrebounded the Hawks 24-15 in the opening half Saturday afternoon.

Dally finished 7-for-17 from the floor, including 3-for-8 from three-point range for 17 points. The second-year guard added seven rebounds in a team-high 36 minutes. Jenny Vaughan, who went 6-for-9 from the field, also had 17 points to go along with four assists. Rebecca Moss led the Mustangs on the boards, hauling in nine rebounds on the afternoon.

Christa Mancino was the top scorer for the Golden Hawks, finishing with a game-high 23 points on 11-of-21 shooting. She also added nine rebounds in the contest, second only to Kimberley Yeldon, who posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Felicia Mazerolle, who entered the day as Laurier’s leading scorer, struggled from the floor and finished with just six points on 2-of-10 shooting, although she did manage a game-high five assists and a pair of steals.

The Mustangs (6-8) are back in action at Alumni Hall this Wednesday, Jan. 25, when they will welcome the Waterloo Warriors (1-12) for a 6:00 p.m. game. For tickets, click here. That game will also available via Live Stream at: http://www.ssncanada.ca/game/3198/