THUNDER BAY, Ont. - Nikola Farkic recorded 15 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to help drive the Mustangs to a 53-51 victory against the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Friday night.

The victory marks the Mustangs first of the season, updating their record to 1-3 and placing them in a tie for second place with Algoma and Laurier. Lakehead's record moves 1-3 placing them in fourth in the OUA Central Division.

Farkic led the team with 15 defensive rebounds, making two steals and going 3-3 at the three-point line. Eriq Jenkins followed, recording 11 points to help seal the deal for the Mustangs.

Four Thunderwolves recorded double digits in the contest, with Alexandre Robichaud leading with 12 points while Bacarius Dinkins, Kache Kopec, and Darnell Curtain all added ten.

Lakehead dominated the first quarter preventing the Mustangs from scoring double digits, taking the lead at the buzzer at 15-9.

The second frame followed suit with both teams exhibiting strong defence. The Mustangs were able to tie the game at 15 when Jenkins grabbed his own rebound to score with just under five minutes left in the half, giving Western the momentum they needed to outscore the Thunderwolves 11-4. With the late burst, Western headed into the half with a 20-19 lead.

The score went back and forth in the third frame as the teams wrestled for the lead. The Thunderwolves recorded 11 rebounds in the frame compared to the Mustangs nine, yet two back-to-back three point shots by Farkic and Cam Morris allowed Western to keep their lead at 38-36.

Lakehead's offense returned to their first frame form by the final ten minutes of the game, keeping pace with the 15 points posted by the Mustangs, but couldn't recover from the earlier deficit.

The Mustangs kept the score in their favour and walk away with a 53-51 victory.

Western returns to home court on Wednesday, November 23 to face the Laurier Golden Hawks at Alumni Hall. Tip-off is at 8:00 p.m., and can be watched live on OUA.tv.