The Mustangs entered the new year with two hard-fought losses to the Queen's Gaels and the York Lions at Alumni Hall. The Mustangs now hold a 5-5 record and sit in a comfortable third place in the OUA West division.

Western's long-range shooting struggles continued against the Gaels' defence as Western went just 1-13 from beyond the arc. Despite their challenges from deep, the team shot a productive 45% from inside the three-point line and found success driving to the paint against the Queen's interior defenders. Western fought to keep the game within reach until the fourth quarter where the Gaels went on one final run to put the game away.

The absence of fourth-year forward Victoria Heine, who was unavailable due to injury, was certainly felt in terms of rebounding as the Mustangs lost the rebounding battle by a differential of 49-25. Injuries continued to plague the team as third-year forward Alex Van Heeswyk went down midway through the second half and did not return as the Gaels went on the win the game 69-49.

The Mustangs were back in action the very next night as they hosted the York Lions in their first meeting of the season at Alumni Hall. The Mustangs, who began the season as one of the most efficient offensive teams in the CIS, once again had trouble connecting from the three-point line as they went 2-22 in the game from deep. Despite the challenges on the offensive end, Western continued to battle on the defensive end, creating turnovers by remaining active all night.

However, the absence of Heine's interior defence was felt once again as York's Shauney Fischer led her team with 20 points, nearly all of which were scored in the paint. The Mustangs went on one final run in the fourth quarter led by fifth-year guard Meredith McLeod but it was ultimately not quite enough as the Lions edged out the 48-41 victory.

Western vs. Windsor – Wednesday, January 11 at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, January 14 at 1:00 p.m. - Watch live at OUA.tv

The Windsor Lancers will match up against the Western Mustangs in a rare back-to-back situation where the Mustangs will travel to Windsor for their first meeting of the season and then return home to face the Lancers in the following game.

Windsor will head into the game on Wednesday with an impressive 8-2 record as they sit atop the OUA West division.

The Lancers have proven themselves to be one of the OUA's most dangerous offensive teams and have built up an impressive collection of wins with victories over Laurier and Toronto this season. The Mustangs, who have shown growth on defence throughout the year, will be facing a Windsor team that has shot an impressive 33.7% from beyond the arc this season, which ranks as the fourth highest in USports.

Windsor will be led by their first-year guard Kayah Clarke, who is currently leading the team in scoring with 12.2 points per game. Clarke is far from the only weapon at the Lancers' disposal however, as Carly Steer and Emily Prevost both are also averaging double-digit points, for a balanced scoring effort.

With a thinning roster caused by injuries, the Mustangs will be looking to continue their high-energy play on the defensive end by forcing the young Windsor guards into turnovers.

Western, despite missing two key interior players, will be sure to re-emphasize the importance of rebounding in order to keep Windsor from dominating the offensive glass the way they have all season. Ultimately, the Mustangs best bet for overtaking such a strong Windsor team and earning two key victories will simply be their ability to put together a complete and healthy roster.