OTTAWA - An early lead combined with a strong second half helped the Carleton Ravens defeat the Western Mustangs 67-43 on Friday night at the Ravens' Nest.
 
The loss marks the Mustangs third of the season, evening out their record at 3-3 keeping them at a tie for second in the OUA West Division with the Laurier Golden Hawks. The Windsor Lancers continue to lead the pack with 4-2 record. The victory for the Ravens is their fourth of the season, placing them behind the Ottawa Gee-Gees who are yet to be defeated this season.
 
 Mackenzie Puklicz's 17 points led the purple and white scorers for the second consecutive game, with Caroline Wolynski followed with nine, while Victoria Heine led the Mustangs rebounders with seven boards.
 
Heather Lindsay led the way for the home side, scoring 22 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the win.
 
The Ravens dominated play right from the tip-off, keeping the Mustangs away from the basket and off the scoreboard until just over three minutes, starting the game off with a 7-0 run. Lindsay Shobalt showed her skills under the basket recording seven points for the Ravens in the opening frame.
 
The Mustangs were quick to get themselves back in the game, yet the Ravens came out on top early leading 19-12 to end the opening 10 minutes.
 
The Ravens continued to pressure the Mustangs, making a number of steals in the second frame to help keep themselves on top of the board. Puklicz was a key contributor for the purple and white, making several shots including a three pointer midway through the frame to bring their deficit down to only three points. Western only trailed their opponents 13-11 in second quarter scoring, but Carleton's first quarter lead gave the Ravens a 32-23 advantage at the half.
 
Carleton continued to roll in the second half, extending their lead to 18 points with a little under four minutes remaining in the frame before Western cut the lead to 13 points heading into the final quarter.
 
Unfortunately for the Mustangs the Ravens only increased their lead in the fourth 18-7 to walk away with a 67-43 win.
 
Western will wrap up its first half schedule on Saturday night against the Ottawa Gee-Gees at Montpetit Hall. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. and can be watched live on OUA.tv