After being handed their first loss of the year last Wednesday against Laurier, the Mustangs bounced back with an impressive win over Waterloo this past Saturday on the road. After splitting the two games, Western now sits in second place in the OUA West Division as they hope to catch Windsor's perfect 6-0 record.
 
The Mustangs' loss in Alumni Hall was one which was highlighted by the sharpshooting of the Golden Hawks. Laurier game into the matchup as one of the premier shooting teams in the nation and proved just that against the purple and white. Western did a good job of running their opponent off the three-point line to start the game, but the Golden Hawks soon found their rhythm and put the game just out of reach for the Mustangs. Julia Curran was the highlight of Western's performance as she put up 23 points and 20 rebounds in the loss.
 
Saturday's matchup was the first game of yet another road trip for the team, as they travelled to Waterloo to take on the Warriors. The game was hard-fought by both sides as neither team would give in on the defensive end of the floor. However, a balanced scoring effort along with clutch free throws from Meredith McLeod would ultimately seal the game for the purple and white.
 
Western vs. Ryerson - Wednesday, November 30 at 6:00 p.m. - Watch live on OUA.tv
 
The Ryerson Rams will come into Wednesday's matchup against the Mustangs with a 4-1 record. After dropping their first game of the season on the road to Laurier, the Rams have been on fire as of late as they currently ride a four-game winning streak. This game will no doubt be a battle between dazzling offence and lockdown defence. The Mustangs, who continue to be one of the strongest scoring teams in the country, will have to go up against a Rams team who has held opponents to just 31.1% from the field while allowing just 51 points per game.
 
Ryerson is led by forward Sofia Paska who has been a force inside the paint so far this season averaging 19.2 points per game to go along with 12 rebounds per game. Paska will prove to be a challenge for Western, as the team's premier rim protectors in Victoria Heine and Curran have yet to match up against such a scoring threat inside this year.
 
Western's biggest advantage comes in terms of offence. The Rams have struggled scoring to start the year and have not found much success shooting the three, making just 2.8 per game. The Mustangs' toughest challenge thus far has been defending long-range shooters, making the defensive matchups a perfect fit on paper for the Mustangs.
 
Western vs. Toronto - Saturday, December 3 at 2:00 p.m. – Tune in live on OUA.tv and CHRW Radio 94.9 FM
 
Toronto is currently sitting at a 3-3 record for the year and will be looking to move ahead in the standings with a win this weekend. Toronto's record has been solid to start the season, but has also come on easier schedule. The team's wins have come against Laurentian, Nipissing, and Algoma, who hold a combined 1-18 record. The Varsity Blues first loss of the season was to Waterloo, where they fell 68-52, whereas the Mustangs came out on top in their game against the Warriors 57-50. However, Toronto is not a team to be taken too easily. The team takes care of the basketball while stealing the ball at a good rate, creating maximum possessions for themselves. If the Mustangs come out carelessly on offence, this Toronto team will surely take advantage make them pay for it on the other end.
 
The Varsity Blues are led by Rahshida Atkinson, who is scoring 14 points per game for the team while shooting well from beyond the arc. Atkinson may prove to be an issue for a Mustangs team who has struggled to defend the three so far this year.
 
Toronto has been in the middle of the pack in term of defence this year, while Western has proven themselves to have potent scoring ability so far this year. The Mustangs will be looking to take advantage of their size advantage down low and maintain their rebounding advantage while scoring inside.