LONDON, Ont. – Twenty-two points from Catherine Traer helped lead the Carleton Ravens to a 78-57 win over the Western Mustangs on Friday night at Alumni Hall.
"We were proud of the team's performance. We can look ourselves in the mirror and say we gave our best effort. We just wore us down," said Mustangs' head coach
Brian Cheng, noting his team's resolve against one of the nation's strongest defences.
Mackenzie Puklicz commented on the Mustangs' effort against the red-hot Ravens, stating "It was tough. We had a couple different schemes that we tried, but Carleton is just so talented. It's hard to practice for that."
With the loss, the Mustangs will move to 5-9 on the year with six games remaining in the season and sit in a deadlock for third place in the OUA West with the Laurier Golden Hawks. The Ravens' win will improve their record to a dominant 13-1 and pushes their winning streak to 13 games as they remain atop the OUA North.
After being held to four points the previous afternoon against Ottawa, Puklicz found her rhythm against the Ravens as she added three steals to go along with her 14 points to lead the team in scoring.
Tonight's matchup also marked an incredible milestone for Puklicz, as she passed the 1,000-point mark for her Western career to end the first half. Puklicz's accomplishment is one reached by few and a testament to an incredible career thus far representing the purple and white.
"It's honestly something that I never thought I'd achieve while being a Mustang, but it just makes me even more proud to be one. It's something I'll always remember," said Puklicz.
Two other Mustangs managed to score in double-figures for the purple and white, as second-year players
Julia Curran and
Laura Graham put up 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Western began the first quarter on a 6-0 run led by three early baskets from Curran. The Mustangs' energy kept the Ravens' offence from finding its footing early, but a pair of three-pointers from Carleton's Catherine Traer would spark the Raven's scoring. Both teams would trade runs throughout the quarter, but a buzzer-beating floater courtesy of Graham would give the Mustangs an 18-16 lead to end the opening frame.
The second quarter proved to be just as tight, as Puklicz kept the Western offence clicking alongside the persistent defence of
Meredith McLeod, but turnovers continued to hurt the Mustangs throughout the half, as they gave the ball up 10 times in the first two frames.
Carleton's size advantage became apparent as the Ravens attacked the paint to extend their lead to six nearing the end of the half. However, a final-second layup from Puklicz brought the purple and white within four points to end the half, facing a 33-29 deficit.
The Ravens' defence was revitalized in the third quarter, as they forced the Mustangs into contested shots and converted those misses into fast-break opportunities. Graham and Curran lead the Western offence to keep the game within reach, but despite the efforts, Carleton would hold-off the Mustang attack and head into the final frame with a 58-45 lead.
Carleton's pace quickened in the final quarter, emphasizing transition opportunities. Solid ball-movement helped solid create chances for Western, but the Mustangs were unable to string together consistent defensive stops as they Ravens grew their lead in the final minutes to secure the 78-57 victory.
"We definitely had an attention to detail. Unfortunately, it just didn't show in the stats. If we can take care of the ball, then we give ourselves a chance," added Cheng. "We've got to move the ball, and I thought we did a good job of that, but when we didn't, they forced us into some bad shots."
The Mustangs will be back in action Friday, February 3, when they will travel to Sault Ste. Marie to take on Algoma in the first game of a two-game matchup against the Thunderbirds this weekend. The game is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. and fans can catch the action live on OUA.tv.
