HAMILTON, Ont. – It came down to the final minute of play on Saturday and Mackenzie Puklicz played the hero once again, as the Mustangs squeezed out a 68-63 win against the McMaster Marauders.
 
The win is Western's fifth straight—the team's longest streak this season. The Mustangs now have an 8-3 record and remain atop the OUA West Division.
 
For the Marauders, the loss puts an end to the team's five game winning streak. Their 8-3 record, which matches the Mustangs', is enough to maintain their first place position in the Central Division.
 
The game truly came down to the wire after McMaster's Danielle Boiago sunk a jump shot to tie the score at 63-63 with 59 seconds left. But Puklicz responded just when the Mustangs needed a hero as she has many times this season, hitting a jump shot thirteen seconds after Boiago's before adding three successful free throws to secure the win.
 
With 201 points, Puklicz is currently the second top scorer of this OUA season. She was the top scorer for the Mustangs on Saturday, adding 20 points to the scoreboard—12 of which were achieved in the final frame. Caroline Wolynski was next with 14 points, followed by Maddy Horst with 11 points, and Victoria Heine with 10.
 
Marauder Clare Kenney's 23 points gives her the title of the afternoon's top scorer. Her talent at the boards earned her a double-double, as she snatched 12 rebounds. Linnaea Harper's 12 points and 10 rebounds also gives her a double-double, and Boiago's 18 points make her McMaster's second top scorer of the day. Boiago currently holds the title of top scorer of this OUA season. She's tallied a whopping 216 points.
 
Both teams headed into Saturday afternoon with streaks that they wanted to lengthen, and that intensity was palpable from the get go. After the tip-off, each team took turns taking the lead, but it was the Mustangs who were able to end the first frame ahead with 16 points to McMaster's 12.
 
Behind on the scoreboard, the Marauders came into the second frame hot. With more steals and better accuracy, McMaster added 14 points while Western earned only six. The Mustangs improved in the third frame though and the score was a close 46-45 in favour of McMaster heading into the final ten minutes.
 
After back and forth play, the last 60 seconds set the teams apart, and the Mustangs took home the win with a 68-63 score.
 
Up next, the Mustangs head to Waterloo on Wednesday, January 27 to face the Warriors. Watch the match live at 6 p.m. on OUA.tv.