KINGSTON, Ont. – An 18-point performance from Marko Kovac helped lead the Western Mustangs to a 75-71 win over the Queen's Gaels on Saturday evening at the ARC Gymnasium.
 
The win moves Western to 5-4 on the season and gives the team sole possession of second place in the OUA West Division. Queen's falls to 5-3 on the year, goof for fifth place in the East.
 
Kovac's 18-point night is a season high for the forward, and came on 7-16 shooting, including going 2-8 from beyond the arc, while also adding a pair of free throws.  Three other Mustangs hit double digits in the win, with Henry Tan, Omar Shiddo, and Christopher Clegg recording 10 points each. Celgg also led the Mustangs rebounding efforts with 10 boards on Saturday.
 
Jaz Bains led all players with 21 points and 10 assists in the loss, and was followed by Mike Soveller and Quinton Gray with 12 points each.
 
The opening 10 minutes proved to be a fast-paced and high scoring affair, with neither side able to build a sizable advantage. Kovac led the Mustangs with eight points in the frame, as both sides traded baskets with Western taking a 24-20 lead into the second quarter.
 
While the first quarter provided plenty of offence on both sides of the court, the scoring slowed down in the second frame with Western slowly pulling ahead of their opponents. The Mustangs doubled the Gaels in the second, outscoring them 16-8 to take a 40-28 lead at halftime.
 
After Western continued to extend their lead in the third quarter, the Gaels fired back in the fourth, with Bains and Graham scoring six points each in the first four minutes of the quarter before Quinton Gray and Harry Range began to take over the scoreboard. Queen's outscored Western 25-13 in the frame, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Mustangs early lead as the purple and white walked away with a 75-71 win.
 
Western is back on home court for the Mustangs final two games of the 2017 calendar year starting on Friday, December 1, at 1 p.m. for a school day game with the Laurentian Voyageurs.