Box Score LONDON, Ont. - Fifth-year guard Mackenzie Puklicz led the Western Mustangs women's basketball team with a double-double performance, putting up 14 points and 11 points to go along with three steals in the team's 52-39 loss to the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Friday morning in Montpetit Hall.

The Gee-Gees were looking for redemption in their matchup against the purple and white, as this is the first meeting between the two teams since Western's six-point upset victory over Ottawa in last year's OUA playoffs.

One other Mustang scored in double-figures for the purple and white in today's meeting, as third-year forward Julia Curran put up 13 points and three assists in the loss. Victoria Heine also made her mark on the game, collecting 10 rebounds to help with Puklicz's effort on the boards.

The Gee-Gees energy was simply too much for the Mustangs to handle through the start of the first quarter, as Ottawa found success crashing the offensive boards and earned themselves second-chance opportunities. However, the defence of the purple and white kept them in the game through the first, as Western fueled their offence through their defence. Both teams struggled to score in the half-court in a low scoring first quarter, as the Gee-Gees hustle to begin the game gave them a 13-9 advantage through the opening frame.

Western seemed to find their spark in the second quarter, as ball-movement began to lead to open shots in the half-court, led by the scoring of Curran and Puklicz. The Mustangs continued to lock down on the defensive end, holding the Gee-Gees to just 2-10 shooting from beyond the arc and forcing nine turnovers in the first half. Western's Heine and Curran helped to shrink the rebounding margin by the end of the half, as a rejuvenated Western team went into the half with a 24-21 advantage.

The Gee-Gees came out of the half moving the ball with purpose, but the Mustangs' defensive rotations continued to hold Ottawa from making an offensive-run through the opening minutes of the third. However, the Gee-Gees would eventually find their footing on offence, cutting into the Mustangs lead by finding success scoring at the rim. A scoring drought by the purple and white coupled with the offence of Ottawa's Jennifer Crowe would eventually push the Gee-Gees to a 39-36 advantage heading into the fourth.

The defence of Ottawa' guards contained the Western offence, as the Mustangs were unable to find any scoring rhythm to start the fourth. Three quick turnovers at the beginning of the quarter would extend the Gee-Gee lead to nine mid-way through the frame, as the defence continued to feed the Ottawa offence. The remainder of the fourth would be much of the same, highlighted by the relentlessness of the Ottawa defence, as the Gee-Gees found redemption for last year's playoff upset, taking a 52-39 victory over the purple and white.

With the loss, the Mustangs move to 3-3 on the season, as they sit in fifth place in a tightly-contested OUA West Division. The Gee-Gees win will improve their record to 3-3 on the season, as they will move into fourth in the OUA East division standings.

The Mustangs will be back in action tomorrow, Saturday, November 18 as they take on the Carleton Ravens in Ottawa, Ontario. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. and fans can catch the action live on OUA.tv.