LONDON, Ont - The Queens Gaels overcame a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to catch the Western Mustangs and take a thrilling 75-74 victory at Alumni Hall on Saturday night.
"We just ran out of gas and we became undisciplined" said head coach Brad Campbell of the Mustangs' fourth-quarter effort post-game. "We had some foul trouble, we did not deal with their full court pressure well."
Before the game, the Western Department of Sports & Recreation Services recognized volunteers who have made significant contributions to athletics at Western in the first ever Mustangs Honour Circle. Coleen Dalton, Gary Gorham, Geln Burston, Helen Luckman, Jacquie & Wynn Downing, Josip Mrkoci, Murray Bryant, Steve Kopp, and Ted Hessel were honoured in front of a Mustang Days home crowd for their tireless dedication and commitment to university athletics. The recipients were applauded in high-esteem for supporting sportsmanship through coaching, training, and behind-the-scenes work for the Mustangs.
With the loss, the Mustangs' record now moves to 9-6, keeping them in second place of the OUA West Division standings behind the Windsor Lancers. The Queens Gaels stay in third of the OUA East Division Standings with a record of 5-9 after their victory.
Three Mustang players hit double digits, with Anthony Spiridis leading the pack with 20 points, nine rebounds and two steals. Tom Filgiano also helped the Mustangs defence with nine rebounds of his own, all of which were defensive. The game's highest scorer was Patrick Street of Queens with 23 points, while teammate Greg Faulkner followed in his footsteps with 22 points on the board.
It was all purple and white from the tip-off to the end of the first half. The Mustangs followed the Gaels all over the court, defending their every move to ensure they wouldn't get the ball to the net. Figliano lead the Mustang defensive pack by becoming a resilient force under the net to grab seven defensive rebounds in the first frame alone. His work in the paint assisted his team in going 20-3 to end the first frame, which saw the Gaels score all three of their points at the free throw line.
The Gaels started the second quarter determined to catch up with the Mustangs. They increased their speed to go on a 16-11 run to start off the second frame. Patrick Street, a third-year Gael, sunk 11 of his teams points in the second frame that helped Queen's outshoot the Mustangs 26-22 in the quarter. Despite being outshot, Western stuck to their defence and maintained their lead, ending the second frame with a score of 42-29.
The tension rose in the third frame with both teams absolutely determined to take a stab at the win. The Gaels started a full court press to start a heavier challenge on the Mustangs. As the Gaels became more aggressive, the Mustangs had to keep their momentum to maintain their lead. Lead by Spiridis, who took 11 of the Mustangs 22 points in the quarter, the purple and white were able to keep their offence strong enough to stay in the lead and finish the quarter with a score of 64-47.
The stage was set for an intense fourth quarter with both teams adrenaline high for the victory. The Gaels determination was clear on the court as their full-court press on the Mustangs prevented shots until the last seconds of the shot clock. The Gaels persistence saw them go on a 21-8 run, allowing them to catch up to the Mustangs and be within 2 points, with only three minutes left of play. With 30 seconds left in the game and the purple and white in the lead with 74-73, the Mustangs were able to wind down the clock until the end of the shot clock. However, a missed play at the end of the 24 seconds was grabbed by Gael player Mike Mullins and passed to Singh who scored at the buzzer to take the win with a final score of 75-74.
"A high character group like we got, we got to get back to work" said Campbell. "We got to get back to the basics and have a good week of practice. Honestly, do what we can do to get back to sound basketball."
The Mustangs head to North Bay to take on the Nipissing Lakers on Friday, February 6. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. and the game can be watched live on OUA.tv.
