TORONTO, Ont. - Third-year guard Erik Jenkins poured in a team-high 17 points to help lead the Western Mustangs in a 70-63 win over the York Lions on Friday evening. The win proved to be a bounce back game for the purple and white, after losing a pair of games last weekend on the road to nationally ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees and Carleton Ravens.

Jenkins, who leads the Mustangs in scoring this season with 11.1 points per game, added five rebounds and an incredible nine steals before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.
Three other Mustangs scored in double-figures for the purple and white, as Omar Shiddo and Marko Kovac put up 16 and 13 points, respectively, while forward Jedson Tavernier had his hands all over this one, as he chipped in 10 points, four rebounds, and five steals in the win.

The opening quarter proved to be back-and-forth between York and Western, as both sides traded baskets to begin the frame. York would continue to convert in their half-court motion offence midway through the first, while the Mustangs began to struggle getting past the Lions' perimeter defenders. A few consecutive turnovers for the purple and white would be enough for York to put together a short run, as the Lions went into the second quarter with a 20-13 lead.

York quickly took advantage of their size in the second frame, driving to the paint and earning easy chances at the rim. However, the Mustangs would quickly force three straight turnovers and convert on the offensive side of the ball to cut into the Lions' lead. Despite the constant effort from the purple and white, the size disadvantage was clear, as York dominated the boards and found themselves with five blocks in the half. However, the scoring of Jenkins would keep the Mustangs within reach, as the Lions held a slim 34-33 lead heading into halftime.

Western would quickly open the half with a short offensive run, retaking the lead over York to start the third quarter. Jenkins continued to carry the scoring load for the purple and white through the opening minutes of the second half behind the passing and vision of Henry Tan. Turnovers from both teams would disallow any definitive run, as the game remained back and forth throughout the frame. However, energetic play from Tavernier as well as continued production from Jenkins led to a 53-51 advantage for Western heading into the fourth.

Backdoor cuts started to wear down and expose the York defence to start the final quarter of play, as Jenkins continued his scoring with solid off-ball movement. Tan continued to control the flow of the offence for the purple and white, as the York guards proved unable to stay in front of the fifth-year guard. The defensive awareness of Tavernier kept the York defence at bay, as Shiddo carried the load on the other end of the floor for Western, hitting a clutch three to extend the Mustang lead. York would make one final run in the final minute of play, but Western would remain composed, escaping with a 70-63 win.

With the win, the Mustangs will improve to 4-4 on the season and will move to second in the OUA West division, trailing the 8-0 Brock Badgers. The Lions' loss will drop them to 2-6 on the season, as they will remain at the bottom of the competitive OUA East division.

The Mustangs will be back in action tomorrow, November 25, where they will travel to take on the Queen's Gaels in their first meeting of the season. The game is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. and fans can catch the action live at OUA.tv.