LONDON, Ont. - Second-year forward Julia Curran led the Mustangs with a dominant double-double performance on Wednesday evening at Alumni Hall, but wasn't able to carry the team above a thriving Laurier contingent, with the Golden Hawks defeating the Mustangs by a 69-64 score.
 
The loss will bring the purple and white record to 4-1 for second place in the OUA West Standings. Laurier's win will push them into first place in the division standings, with a 5-1 record on the year.
 
"We have to continue to be humble and hungry, and anytime we get ahead of that then good teams will come and catch us," said Mustangs' head coach Brian Cheng.
 
After helping to lead the team to three straight wins on the road, Curran picked up where she left off with 23 points to go along with a staggering 20 rebounds in the game. The Waterloo native produced on both ends of the floor for the purple and white as she had two steals in the game, helping to create extra possessions for the team.
 
Curran wasn't the only Mustang to earn herself a double-double, as senior forward Victoria Heine chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds to help the cause. Mackenzie Puklicz, who has been the premier scoring threat for the team this season, struggled from the field but ended the game with an impressive 20 points, eight rebounds, and five steals.
 
"Julia's were very loud. She just goes and gets them, and she earns them. She's a very special player," noted Cheng about the performance on the boards. "With Victoria, hers were quiet, she just chipped away and accumulated them. It's unfortunate that we put in such a good effort with those two and were unable to get a victory. Unfortunately, we have to lose and learn."
 
Despite coming off strong performances on the road, the Mustangs took some time to heat up in the first half, as they went 0-7 in the first half from three-point range. However, a strong rebounding advantage and their ability to score inside kept them within striking distance, with Laurier holding a 29-28 lead after two quarters.
 
The second half remained closely contested, but the Golden Hawks would eventually catch fire from beyond the arc while going 13-14 from the free throw line in the second half to ultimately seal the victory.
 
"We all put in a hard effort tonight, it just came down to the small details. Everyone needed to get together a little more and execute each play," said Curran. "Nothing was dropping, and we're going to have some of those days but we need to know how to play through that."
 
The Mustangs will be back in action this Saturday, November 26 as they will be travelling down to Waterloo to take on the Warriors. The game is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. and fans can catch the action live at OUA.tv.