WATERLOO, Ont - A tight scoring race in the final frame ended with the Golden Hawks taking the lead to win over the Mustangs with a final score of 76-71 in overtime play on Saturday afternoon at the Athletic Complex.

Greg Morrow topped the score sheet once again, recording the game-high 32 points. Anthony Spiridis followed his teammate with 13 points on the purple and white score sheet. Key players in Mustang defence was Jedson Tavernier and Peter Scholtes with 8 rebounds, followed close behind by Tom Filgiano with 7 rebounds.

Three Golden Hawk players hit double digits in their victory, with Will Coulthard leading the way with 19 points, followed by Simon Mikre and Matt Chesson with 16 and 10 points, respectively. Mikre and Coulthard led the defensive pack with 8 and 6 rebounds. Laurier had an impressive 95.7% success rate at the free throw line, compared to Western's 75%.

The Golden Hawks took control early in the game, with their first two points coming just five seconds into the game. The Mustangs spent the first few minutes of the game trailing behind their opponents, falling eight points short within four minutes left in the frame. A steal followed by a dunk by Morrow brought the Mustangs back to an equal score at 17. After bringing themselves back from a deficit, the purple and white found themselves down by one after the first ten minutes.

The Mustangs fierce plays of Tavernier and Morrow helped keep the Mustangs on top of the scoresheet. Answering all the Laurier shots with a few of their own, the purple and white never relinquished their lead to outshoot their opponents 19-11 for the frame. Morrow marked his place on the scoresheet in the first half, proving to be the biggest challenge to the Golden Hawks. The teams went into the second half of the game with a score of 38-31.

Returning for the second half, the Golden Hawks increased their defense to prevent the Mustang players from earning possession of the ball. The last half of the game saw the scoreboard go back and forth between teams. The Golden Hawks began to force the Mustangs into taking tough shots, taking advantage of the missed baskets to rebound from. After going on an 8-0 run late in the third frame, the Golden Hawks were able to square the score at 54 apiece.

Neither team backed down in the final frame, with the Mustangs working hard to answer their opponent's baskets under intense pressure. Filgiano played a key role in the team's defense by making four rebounds in the final frame and Laurier player, Mikre, making three rebounds for his team.

With the score in Golden Hawk favour with less than a minute of play, Morrow managed to get through his defenders and make a layup to tie the score at 66. With no score from either side to answer back, the game went into an extra five minutes of play.

The stage was set for a thrilling overtime period. Filgiano made a huge impact for the Mustangs making their first five points in extra time. A jump shot by Coulthard put the Golden Hawks back on top with less than a minute of play. A couple missed three point attempts kept the Mustangs trailing behind until Thomas Garrison extended the Laurier lead to five points.

Despite making plays and fighting off the Laurier defense, the Mustangs could not sink another basket to even the score. With a final score of 76-71 the Mustangs narrowly fell to the Golden Hawks.

The Mustangs continue their season against the Windsor Lancers on Friday, November 13 at the St. Denis Centre. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. and can be watched live at OUA.tv.