Box Score LONDON, Ont. - The Western Men’s Basketball team, coming off of a big win from last Saturday, was looking to keep their drive going on Wednesday night, taking on the talented Windsor Lancers in front of the Western home fans. Western head coach Brad Campbell and the team were energized and ready to hit the court with a fury. Unfortunately, a well-played game by the Windsor Lancers was too much for the Mustangs to handle and the Lancers snatched the victory with a final score of 89-61.

The game started out slow with both teams struggling on the offensive end. Peter Scholtes was able to make a few shots from inside to put his team on the board and a spectacular three pointer from the previous game’s hero, Quinn Henderson, energized the Mustang squad. Western leaders Ryan Higgins and Charlie Drouin sparked a quick run on behalf of the Mustangs but the Lancers continued to pressure defensively and capitalized on a few Western mistakes. The first quarter ended with the Mustangs up 22-21.

In the second quarter the Mustangs struggled to get an offence going. They went scoreless for the first five minutes of the quarter allowing the Lancers to build a lead by going on a 15-0. In search for an answer, the Mustangs turned to Henderson who scored their first jumper of the quarter. Coming off of the bench to support him was Elliot Dooley who made a clutch three pointer towards the end of the quarter and the first half ended with the score 44-35 in favour of the Lancers.

The second half kicked off with excellent shooting from beyond the arc and back to back three pointers from both teams got things rolling. Unfortunately, this was followed by another five minute scoring drought by the Mustangs, which allowed the Lancers to capitalize and further extend their lead. Tough defensive pressure from Windsor combined with an inability to execute a successful offence was the reason for the third quarter struggle. By the end of the third quarter, Windsor held a 72-48 lead.

Western had a lot of work to do in the fourth quarter in order to dig themselves out of such a significant hole and team leader Ryan Higgins was very successful on the court scoring eight points in the final quarter alone. However, continued success from Ryan Christie for the Windsor Lancers made it difficult for the Mustangs to turn things around. The game concluded with the score 89-61 in favour of the Windsor Lancers.

Leading the way for the Mustangs was Higgins with 15 points. Lien Phillip placed atop the Lancers score sheet, recording 18 points.

It is obviously a disappointment for the Mustangs to lose the momentum that last Saturday’s game provided. What is important is that the boys regroup and prepare for the final few games of the season. Next up are the McMaster Marauders who make their way to Alumni Hall this Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.