LONDON, Ont. – Given that Saturday was Senior Day at Alumni Hall, it was only fitting that Caroline Wolynski lead the way for the Mustangs, scoring 20 points to help Western finish out the regular season with a 59-49 win over Algoma.
 
"We had some new players in some new positions for us, and I thought that put us in situations where we weren't the most comfortable, but we had to go through those," said Western head coach Brian Cheng. We've had some adversity, but now we've got new people now stepping up. It was a good opportunity for us."
 
The win finishes off Western's regular season, giving them a 14-6 win-loss record, good for second place in the OUA West Division heading into the playoffs. Algoma's record falls to 1-18, and they will finish out their season tomorrow against the Windsor Lancers.
 
Before the game, a brief ceremony was held for Wolynski and Jayme Muir, the team's two graduating seniors. Muir's and Wolynski's years of contributions to the Western Mustangs women's basketball team were celebrated as the veterans took center court for pictures with family and applause from the crowd.
 
"[Muir and Wolynski] are just wonderful people, and they've moved this program ahead," said Western head coach Brian Cheng. "Their contributions can't be valued—it's priceless."
 
Not only did Wolynski lead all players in scoring, she also finished with eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Mackenzie Puklicz was next up on the scoresheet with 16 points and eight boards of her own, while Alex Van Heeswyk topped the rebound leaderboard with 11.
 
On the Algoma end, forward Laura Meadows led the Thunderbirds' tough fight, contributing a total of 11 points. Marlee Ball and Karissa Kojorinne contributed nine points each to help keep the game close.
 
It was a tough match for Western on Saturday night. With numerous Mustangs out due to injury, including Maddy Horst, Victoria Heine, and Julia Curran, the purple and white struggled to adjust.
 
Missing top rebounders Heine and Curran, the Thunderbirds beat Western on the boards in the first quarter, grabbing eight rebounds to the home team's four. Offensively, the Mustangs were able to outshoot and outscore Algoma, but just by one point; it was 12-11 for Western heading into the second frame.
 
The Mustangs started to separate themselves from Algoma in the second quarter, although the Thunderbirds kept things closer than the Mustangs would have liked. Wolynski stole the show in the frame, scoring nine of Western's 14 points, including twice going the length of the court before finishing things off with a layup. Heading into the half, the purple and white lead 26-21.
 
Algoma continued to keep things close in the third quarter, with both teams committing a number of turnovers as well as shooting just under 30%, the two sides were having trouble getting shots to fall. The Thunderbirds, held a slight edge in the frame, outscoring the Mustangs 16-11 to enter the fourth quarter with things all tied up at 37-37.
 
Western began to pull away in the final 10 minutes, putting 22 points on the scoreboard, compared to 12 from the visitors. Two three-pointers from Meredith McLeod and another from Laura Graham played a key role in putting the Mustangs in front, eventually giving the Mustangs a 59-49 win.
 
Following the game, Wolynski reflected on her past five years in purple and white, while also looking ahead to the playoffs that begin next week.
 
"It's so surreal, time flew by," she said. "It's really sad, but I'm just going to do whatever I can to get us as far as we can in the playoffs. I don't want it to end anytime soon, so hopefully we can find some ways to win."
 
Now that the Mustangs have finished their regular season, they move on to fight for the Critelli Cup in the playoffs. Their first playoff game is on Wednesday, March 2 at home, though the opponent is yet to be announced. Catch the game at 6 p.m. at Alumni Hall, or watch the live stream on OUA.tv.