After a few weeks away from OUA action, the Mustangs return to regular season play this week, as they host both the Queen's Gaels and York Lions this weekend at Alumni Hall.

The purple and white enter the second semester with a 5-3 record, with the team in third place in the OUA West Division, in behind Laurier and Windsor.

Fourth-year guard Mackenzie Puklicz led the Mustangs offence in the first half, topping the Mustangs leaderboard and ranking second in the OUA with 20.1 points-per-game. The London native has also contributed 6.3 rebounds per contest, good for third amongst all Western players, while also averaging 2.4 assists and 3.4 steals per game.

The duo of Julia Curran and Victoria Heine have also helped lead the Mustangs this season, averaging 13.8 and 11.4 points per game respectively. The two forwards are also the key players for the Mustangs on the boards, with Curran leading the team with 9.6 rebounds per game, followed by Heine with 8.1.

Western vs. Queen's - Friday, January 6 at 6:00 p.m. - Watch live on OUA.tv

The Queen's Gaels will come out of the winter break and into their matchup against the Mustangs with a perfect 6-0 record. The Gaels have proven themselves to be one of the OUA's premier teams so far this season after a convincing win over Laurier in their third game of the season. Queen's will come into the matchup boasting the best offence in the nation along with being one of the toughest defensive teams. The Mustangs, who have been extremely efficient shooting the ball this year, must face a Gaels team that is leading the CIS in blocks per game while ranking second in opponents' field goal percentage, making them a force on that end of the floor.

Queen's will be led by guard Marianne Alarie who has been an effective scorer for them all year long, averaging 16.6 points per game to go along with 2.6 steals per game. Alarie is far from the only weapon on the Gaels roster, as Queen's has found consistent production off their bench so far this season.

Western's biggest advantage in the matchup will come through their ability to create extra possessions, as the Gaels have been around the middle of the pack in terms of turning the ball over this season. The Mustangs will hope to exploit this and create easy points off fast break opportunities. In terms of rebounding, as strong as Curran and Heine have been on the boards this season, the Mustangs must find that sort of production out of all their players if they hope to keep a tenacious Queen's team off the offensive glass.

Western vs. Ryerson – Saturday, January 7 at 6:00 p.m. - Watch live on OUA.tv

The York Lions come out of the winter break with a 1-5 record so far this year. The Lions have yet to take a game on the road this season and will be hungry for a potential win against the Mustangs at Alumni Hall. Western will come into the matchup with the stronger record and will be looking to take advantage of a York team which has struggled to score this year, especially from beyond the arc. Despite the early struggles for York, this is a team has proven to have the potential to be above average in terms of rebounding and rim protection, forcing teams to keep their energy high throughout the game.

York is led by their guards in Ishanaa Seupersadsingh and Katrina Collins-Samuels who are each averaging around 10 points per game and have proven themselves to be capable scoring threats this year.

For the Mustangs to secure the victory they will no doubt be hoping to take advantage of the Lions perimeter defence which has proven to be a challenge for them so far this season. Creating turnovers will once again be a key for the Mustangs, as the team seems to find their offensive flow much easier after sparking some easy fast break baskets.