Two division rivals are on the schedule this week for the Western Mustangs women's basketball, who are coming off a loss after falling 45-71 to the Lakehead Thunderwolves on the road Saturday evening. The Mustangs will host Laurier at Alumni Hall on Wednesday, February 18 in their final home game of the regular season before travelling to Waterloo on Saturday, February 21 to close out the season.

Wednesday, February 18 – vs. Laurier at 6:00 p.m. - Watch live on OUA.tv

After a loss to Lakehead on January 31, the Golden Hawks have rebounded to win their last four straight games with an average differential of 35 points. They currently sit in second place in the OUA West division with 32 points, and are ranked sixth nationally. The Golden Hawks boast an effective and consistent offence which is led by Whitney Ellenor, who averages 15.2 points per game. Nicole Morrison and Kaitlyn Schenck also sit atop the Laurier lineup after averaging 11.9 and 10.2 points per game, respectively.

In their latest contest, the Golden Hawks climbed to a convincing 92-55 win over Nipissing on February 14, and will be looking to continue their momentum into their final games of the season. After their contest against Western, Laurier will take on the first place Windsor Lancers - who they are just two points behind - so it can be certain the Golden Hawks will be looking to claim a victory over the Mustangs before their final game.

The two teams met just over a month ago, when the Mustangs travelled to Waterloo to face the Golden Hawks on January 14 and where they were handed a 75-49 loss. Caroline Wolynski put up 15 points and four rebounds in the contest, while teammate Mackenzie Puklicz offered up 14 points and stripped the ball for five steals. Victoria Heine did not play in the match, so the purple and white will look to her scoring contributions and prowess on the glass to help close the gap between these two teams when they meet on Wednesday.

Saturday, February 21 – at Waterloo at 6:00 p.m. - Watch live on OUA.tv

Waterloo is nipping on the Mustangs heels in the OUA West standings after two straight wins against Nipissing and Laurentian. With 10 points, they sit just two points behind the third-place Mustangs and will be looking to close the gap with a win this Saturday.

In their match against Laurentian on Saturday, February 14, the Warriors were led by guard Madison Behr who recorded 29 points to top the scoresheet for both teams. Amy Jarvis will be another player for the Mustangs to watch, as she leads the Warriors with 10.8 points per game.

The Mustangs come to Saturday's game already having a win in hand against the Warriors, which came on January 17 when Wolynski and Puklicz combined for an impressive 50 points in the 80-70 purple and white victory. While the stats for that game mostly read even, it was rebounds that helped the Mustangs break away. Western out-rebounded the Warriors 58-39 and converted 18 points off of offensive rebounds.  Maddy Horst recorded 14 rebounds in the contest with Puklicz claiming 13. If these two can replicate their success on the boards along with typical showing from go-to rebounder Heine and offensive force Wolynski, the Mustangs stand a good chance at ending their season on a high note.