After beating the Gryphons in a close contest on the road, the Mustangs hope to get another win when they face the Algoma Thunderbirds on Friday in their first home game of 2016.
Last Saturday's win allows the Mustangs to remain on top of the OUA West, a position they currently share with the Windsor Lancers. Both squads have 10 points and a 5-3 record.
Third year
Mackenzie Puklicz continues to lead the Mustangs in scoring, averaging 18.1 points per game.
Caroline Wolynski follows Puklicz, tallying 14.1 points on average.
Maddy Horst also consistently achieves double digits, scoring 10 points per game.
On the defensive side,
Julia Curran has proven herself an asset despite being new to the OUA. She tops the team in rebounds, grabbing an average of seven rebounds a game. Last week she caught a team high of 11 boards, a number that she shared with Puklicz, who also got 11 rebounds on Saturday. Pucklicz is third for Western in rebounds per game at 5.3.
Victoria Heine follows closely behind Curran, averaging 6.6 grabs at the glass.
The Mustangs have been sinking 41.8% of their shots on the paint. This allows them to tally 71.1 points per game, contributing to their high standing in the OUA West.
Western vs. Algoma - Friday, January 15 at 6 p.m. - Watch live on OUA.tv Last year didn't treat Algoma as well as it did Western; however, 2016 looks like it may be different for the Thunderbirds.
Last week the young team swept the George Brown Holiday Tournament. They beat the George Brown Huskies once and the Durham Lords twice, and Jordan Milos won the title of tournament MVP. The success is a big positive for Algoma as they gear up to face the Mustangs in London.
The Thunderbirds, who have only been in the OUA for just over two years, have a record of 0-8. This puts them in the fifth position in the West Division, just behind the Waterloo Warriors, who have a record of 0-7.
Laura Meadows leads the team in scoring, sinking 8.8 points of the team's 39.1 average. Sydney Resch follows closely with 8.2 points.
At the boards, Mairead Dunn tops the Thunderbirds in rebounds. She grabs 6.6 balls off the glass per game, and is more dangerous on the defensive end compared to the offensive, making her a key player for protecting the Algoma basket.
Overall, 25 seems to be the Thunderbirds' number. They've been averaging 25 turnovers, 25.6% accuracy of field goals, and 25.5 % accuracy of three point shots.
