WINDSOR, Ont. - In their first regulation game back from the holiday break, the Western Mustangs had their work cut out for them, as they faced the undefeated, and CIS number one ranked Windsor Lancers. The Lancers proved their worth, as they handed Western their third straight regular season loss by an 83-51 score at the St. Denis Centre in Windsor.

Mackenzie Puklicz led scoring for the Mustangs with 13 points, while Caroline Wolynski followed close behind with 11. Victoria Heine maintained her strong presence on the boards, taking down nine rebounds and throwing up six points for good measure.

Western looked good coming out of the gate as Heine put in the first two points of the game. Alex Van Heeswyk and Sam Loucks chipped in to help gain a 7-6 lead over the Lancers in the tail end of the first quarter. But that lead would be short-lived as Windsor went on a 12-1 run in the last three minutes of the frame, going into the second quarter on top 18-8.

Points were not easy to come by for the Stangs, with seven minutes passing before Sasha Samardzija put in a good jumper for their first points of the second quarter. But the Lancers dominated offensively to take a 24-point lead into the second half with a score of 39-15.

Despite the setback, Western remained resilient coming into the second half of the game, more than doubling their total points output in the third quarter with 17. This output came as Heine took a hit and came out of the game with a little over two minutes to play in a quarter where she mustered up four points, five rebounds, and a steal. The injury sidelined her until the middle of the fourth quarter.

As has been the story for most of many games this year, the Mustangs offence came to life in the fourth quarter, where the trio of Maddy Horst, Puklicz, and Wolynski combined for 15 points. Overall, the Stangs netted 19 points to the Lancers 20 in the last quarter. But the combination of a quiet first half and giving up points on turnovers – 35 in total – led to a difficult loss in the City of Roses.

With the loss, the Mustangs fall to a record of 2-7 and remain third in the OUA West Division while Windsor improves to a perfect 8-0 record to sit on top. The Mustangs will travel to Waterloo on January 14 to face Wilfrid Laurier, who have won their last seven matches. That game tips off at 6 p.m. and can be seen on OUA.tv.