NORTH BAY, Ont – Greg Morrow put his name in the Western record books on Friday night, recording his 1,000th career regular season point as the Mustangs defeated the Nipissing Lakers 86-65 at the Robert J. Surtees Centre.
 
With the win the Mustangs move to 10-6 on the year, once again putting them on top of the OUA West Division standings, with the Windsor Lancers right on their heels. The Lakers record falls to 0-14 in their first OUA season, keeping them in last place in the OUA North.
 
Morrow's historic marker came with 7:18 left in the third quarter as the London native hit a layup to record his 17th and 18th points of the night to break the 1,000 point barrier. He didn't stop there, finishing with a game-high 34 points, along with four rebounds and three steals.
 
Anthony Spiridis also hit a season-high 27 points and serving as a challenging threat to the Lakers in the paint. Marcus Lewis led the Lakers offence with 20 points, with Marcos Clennon and Wil Konybai recording 14 and 10 points respectively.
 
The purple and white starting lineup did not waste any time getting to their basket and taking shots. Fifth-year Mustang Quinn Henderson continuously took the ball to the net, sinking seven points in the first frame. Spiridis also found success deep in the key, making baskets and grabbing the and-one a few times to score eight points of his own. The Mustangs went on to take the first frame lead with a score of 21-12.
 
The Lakers didn't stray too far from their visitors through the second frame as the Lakers were determined to keep the Mustangs away for the net. However, Spiridis's quick pace and fast footwork created smooth plays in the paint to add another seven points to keep the Mustangs in front. Lewis showed up on the board with six out of the teams 18 points for his team in the second frame. The Lakers hard work saw them catch up to reduce the lead to eight points with a score of 38-30 going into the second half.
 
Western's determination to stay in the lead seemed to outweigh the Lakers motivation to catch up as the purple and white when on a 21-0 run to start the second half. Lewis became a key player for the Lakers when he scored seven in a row to help his team catch up to Mustang lead. His motivation sparked his teammates hard work and the Lakers eventually reduced the earlier 21-point lead in the frame down to nine with a score of 64-55 to go into the final quarter.
 
With only ten minutes left for the Lakers to catch up to their visitors, the Mustangs refused the Lakers multiple shots, taking the ball right off the rim and making strong offensive plays of their own to walk away with an 86-65 victory.
 
The Mustangs continue their road trip with a game against the Laurentian Voyageurs at the Ben Avery Gymnasium in Sudbury on Saturday night. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. and can be watched live at OUA.tv.