LONDON, Ont. – A strong fourth quarter helped the Lakehead Thunderwolves defeat the Western Mustangs 79-71 in a close contest on Friday night at Alumni Hall.
 
"I thought Lakehead came out with nothing to lose, and I didn't think we were at our best, but give credit to Lakehead they did some things to slow us down," said Western head coach Brian Cheng. 
 
The loss moves the Mustangs record to 13-6 on the year, and keeps them tied for first in the OUA West with Windsor, although the Lancers have a game in hand on the purple and white.
 
Lakehead's record improves to 7-11 on the year, although they remain in fourth in the competitive OUA Central.
 
It was anybody's game heading into the final frame Friday, as the Mustangs held just a one point lead over the visitors. Unfortunately for the purple and white, the Thunderwolves brought more accurate shooting, and likely the biggest factor, powerful defence and rebounding, to pull out the win.
 
"They just threw a really tough defence at us," said Mackenzie Puklicz. "They were right in our faces and I don't think we were ready for that."
 
Like her opponents, Puklicz personally played a strong defensive game. With a total of 10 rebounds and 15 points, to earn a double-double on the night. Ahead of Puklicz on the scoresheet was captain Caroline Wolynski who, despite battling illness, led the Mustangs in scoring. She tallied a big 22 points, nine of which came from the free throw line. Second-year guard Maddy Horst added 10, with six coming from behind the three-point arc.
 
The Thunderwolves were led by Katelyn Andrea, who earned a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Bridget O'Reilly and Gillian Lavoie were also key performers for Lakehead, contributing 18 and 14 points, respectively.
 
Behind 19-10 to start the second frame, two young Mustangs, Sam Loucks and Horst, stepped up to erase the deficit. The duo combined for 11 points in just over two minutes, helping the Mustangs go on a 13-2 run to start the quarter. The Thunderwolves began to pull ahead late in the frame, and a three pointer at the buzzer from Cassandra Soulias put Lakehead up 33-31 heading into the half.
 
The third frame was back and forth between the two teams, with both teams trading baskets throughout the frame. Wolynski led the way for the home side with seven points in the frame, helping Western take a 51-50 lead into the fourth.
The final frame saw the Thunderwolves began to pull away, taking the lead midway through the quarter and refusing to relinquish it, as they claimed a 79-71 win.
 
The Mustangs finish up their regular season on Saturday against the Algoma Thunderbirds. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m., and the event will start off with Western's annual Senior Day ceremony honouring the Mustangs graduating player. Fans can tune into the game live on OUA.tv
 
tomorrow, Saturday, February 27 with a game at 6 p.m. against the Algoma Thunderbirds. Since it is the final game for the senior Mustangs before playoffs, tomorrow is also known as Senior Day. Celebrate the graduating Mustangs and the final 2015-2016 match by coming to Alumni Hall or by watching the live stream on OUA.tv.