TORONTO - An exciting back and forth final half finished with the Western Mustangs coming out on top 78-65 over the Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday night at the Goldring Centre.
 
The Mustang victory keeps them in third place in the OUA West Division standings with a 2-2 record, while the Varsity Blues fall to 1-3 on the year, good for third in the East Division.
 
Mustang Greg Morrow scored a game high 26 points, 20 of which were scored in the final two quarters. Devin Johnson led the Varsity Blues offence with 18 points, while Kwasi Oti-Awere lead all players with 11 rebounds.
 
After a basket from Tom Filgiano put the Mustangs in front off the opening tip the two teams traded points throughout the first quarter, with the purple and white holding a slight edge in the first three minutes before the Varsity Blues pulled ahead 15-14 by the end of the frame. Filgiano led the way for Western in the opening 10 minutes, scoring six of Western's 14 points in the quarter, eventually finishing with 11 by the end of the night.
 
While neither team was able to gain a sustainable advantage in the first, it was a different story to start the second as the Blues went on an 8-0 run to take a 25-16 lead midway through the quarter. A three pointer from Anthony Spiridis seemed to turn the tide, with Western eventually cutting Toronto's lead to 32-28 at halftime.
 
Spiridis' three helped him lead Western with seven points in the first half, followed by six from Morrow and Figliano. All eyes were on Filgiano in the first two quarters as the Acadia transfer impressed with four assists and two steals to go along with his six points.
 
The court was ready for the final 20 minutes with the lead changing hands five times over the last two quarters. With the Blues first to score starting the second half, a smooth play from Filgiano to Jedson Tavernier for a lay-up started the scoring for the Mustangs in the third. Tavernier would also be involved towards the end of the frame, draining a three pointer with two minutes left to give the Mustangs a lead, ending the third with a 48-45 advantage.
 
An exciting final 10 minutes saw the score tied twice, first at 51-51 on a free throw by Spiridis, and again at 57-57 on a basket from Morrow. Just over a minute later Elliot Dooley sunk a three pointer to give the Mustangs the lead for good, finishing with a 75-68 victory.
 
The Mustangs continue their string of road games next weekend when they take on the Algoma Thunderbirds on Friday, November 21. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. and can be watched live on OUA.tv.