Box Score LONDON, Ont. - The Purple Reign returned to Alumni Hall with a different hue as the hometown Western Mustangs donned their pink jerseys in support of breast cancer research in their 70-49 losing effort to the Brock Badgers.

With the Badgers undefeated so far this season, Western knew it would have its hands full with containing the Brock attack.

“With a performance like that where one team was so dominant, you have to give credit to Brock. They took it to us. They showed us why they were 8-0 coming in and they showed us why they’re now deservedly 9-0. They were on the edge of the [CIS] Top Ten, and after this weekend for them, I’ll definitely vote for them,” said Western head coach Brian Cheng after the loss.

Badgers’ forward Nicole Rosenkranz is among the statistical leaders in the OUA in both points and rebounds, showing the dynamic range in abilities her six-foot, one-inch frame affords her. With Rosenkranz demanding attention in the low-post, Brock was able to lean on their talented shooters to jump out to a first-quarter 18-13 lead.

With the Mustangs’ ace rebounder and low-post Jory McDonald still on the shelf with a day-to-day injury, coach Cheng’s team would be unable to stop the potent Brock offense early on.

After responding to the Badgers’ level of play with a brief period of improved offence, the Mustangs’ attack would fall flat and the defence did not fare much better. The Badgers were able to balloon their lead with an unanswered 16-point scoring run, helped in part by shooting five of nine from beyond the three-point arc in the second quarter alone.

Western would again find their scoring touch late in the second but by then the Badgers had a strong foothold – entering halftime with a 42-27 lead.

Western would be unable to muster a comeback with the Badgers’ Head Coach Si Khounviseth refusing to let his team rest on its laurels until the final buzzer rang. Brock’s balance of scrappy post-play and outside touch was able to silence an arena full of supportive fans and the Mustangs followed suit.

“I think there are some opportunities to learn from today’s game,” said Cheng.  “We left some layups on the floor. We missed about 11 layups – that’s about 22 points right there. We missed 11 free throws – we left 11 points in the game. We gave up 33 points from three-pointers. Those are the things we feel we can do better next time we see the Badgers. We have some work to do to play at a higher level.”

“We need to get better defensively,” continued Cheng. “We need to be better at the end of the clock and take care of our defensive rebounds. We need to make sure we get our identity back.”

“When our boat gets rocked by stormy weather, how will we right the ship? Do we let the storm keeping rocking us back and forth or do we try and right the ship ourselves?”

These are the questions the team will look to answer in practice as the schedule continues its steady road to the playoffs.
Veteran point-guard Jenny Vaughan led the Mustangs with her usual 19 points from six for 14 field-goal accuracy and seven of eight shooting from the foul line. Veteran forward Melissa Rondinelli and second-year guard Annabel Hancock corralled 12 and 10 rebounds, respectively.

Brock’s stars Rosenkranz and Kayla Santilli each had monster stat-lines, with the former logging an 18-point. 12-rebound double-double, three assists, three blocks and three steals, and the latter dominating from downtown with 21 points off of five for eight shooting from three-point territory. Andrea Polischuk led the game with six assists for the Badgers.

While the loss is disappointing for a Mustangs team looking to measure itself up against one of the OUA’s best, the bigger picture is still something to be proud of. Pink jerseys and pink basketballs aside, this type of awareness campaign for a cause as important as cancer research is something that neither team takes lightly.

“I’m very proud to be a part of that initiative because it allows us to give back to a very worthy cause and hopefully be a part of finding a cure for a very devastating infliction,” said coach Cheng.

And even in losing, the level-headed Vaughan is able to pause for some reflection of her own.

“Luckily, I haven’t had anyone immediately affected [by cancer] in my life, but others on the team have. We really tried to play hard today for those people. We know there are people in the stands for whom this hits close to home so we were definitely proud to raise some money.”

Fans can catch both the women’s and men’s teams at Alumni Hall this Wednesday, January 9 as they take on the Waterloo Warriors. Tip-offs are at 6 and 8 PM, respectively.