Box Score HAMILTON, Ont. - With Dundas-native Jenny Vaughan making the final "hometown" appearance of her CIS career in nearby Hamilton, a tough afternoon on the boards would send the Mustangs home to London with a 62-67 loss to division-rival McMaster at Burridge Gymnasium.

With Western looking to get back on track against a solid Marauders team, the Mustangs put themselves in good position over three quarters to make a push for the victory. But after closing a five-point gap to finish the third quarter, Western's attempt to steal a victory in front of one of the OUA West's loudest home-crowds—featuring an announced attendance of 400 on Saturday—came up short.

Vaughan went point-for-point with her fellow 2013 OUA First-Team All-Star Hailey Milligan – a strong presence in the post for the Marauders – with both cornerstone players finishing with 21 points.

Milligan also finished with a game-high 15 rebounds. The aggressive rebounder's effort on the glass was untouchable for the Mustangs and her output was one of the key deciders in her team's victory.

As a team, the Marauders out-rebounded the Mustangs 46-25, an unforgiveable disparity with McMaster shooting at a far great accuracy from the field. The Marauders converted on 45% of their field-goal opportunities while Western connected on 36.9%; as a team, the Mustangs have averaged 42.4% from the field so far this season.

Despite the difficulties on offense and on the boards, the Mustangs hung tight by virtue of their defense – and the Marauders' miscues. The Purple and White won the turnover battle, finishing plus-eight in turnover differential. Those extra possessions lead to 13 points and gave Western just enough to stay in the game until the decisive final quarter.

Mustangs' head coach Brian Cheng elected to keep his core players together for much of the game, with Vaughan, guard Caroline Wolynski and forward Katelyn Leddy playing all 40 minutes; Leddy's frontcourt partner, fifth-year forward Melissa Rondinelli, played all but two minutes in the contest.

The reliance on the starters meant a bench-unit that struggled to find their rhythm, finishing with a combined zero points on five attempts. With limited offensive efficiency between both the starters and reserves, a final push never seemed to manifest itself.

The Mustangs fall to 11-5 on the season and will host the Guelph Gryphons on Wednesday January 29 with a chip on their shoulder, as they will look to put forward a better effort than the one against McMaster. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at Alumni Hall and fans can watch all the action live on Mustangs TV.