LONDON, Ont. - The Toronto Varsity Blues used a strong second quarter to build up a first half lead that they wouldn't relinquish, defeating the Western Mustangs 66-53 on Friday night at Alumni Hall.
 
"In the first half, we made a lot of defensive errors" said Mustangs head coach Brad Campbell. "The second half was better defensively, but our offence throughout the game struggled to make shots. We weren't very active on the glass, and weren't able to draw many fouls either. We need to make the easy play."  
 
"We got stops down the stretch to spark a little comeback, but it was a little too late" said Eriq Jenkins on the Mustang comeback late in the fourth quarter. "We need to focus, and guys have to be mentally prepared moving forward."
 
"We're having trouble scoring points right now, and our big thing is how can we maintain ourselves defensively, but at the point find ways to score, and that's going to be our big challenge moving forward."
 
The Mustangs currently sit with a record of 1-2, placing them in fifth in the OUA West Division, while the Varsity Blues improve to 2-0 in the OUA East.
 
The Mustangs were led by Jenkins and Alex Coote, with both recording 11 points apiece. Jenkins, alongside Marko Kovac, led the team's rebounding efforts, each pulling down five rebounds.
 
Sage Usher and Daniel Johansson led the Blues, scoring 14 and 11 points, respectively. Reilly Reid also finished the night with an impressive statline, scoring 10 points, with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal to help his team in the win.
 
Western came out and set a good tempo for the first quarter, responding well to Toronto's press, but weren't able to convert on many of their chances beyond the arc; the opening quarter concluding with a Blues buzzer beater and an 18-12 lead.
 
Toronto began pulling away with the game in the second frame, increasing the pace to keep up a healthy scoring rhythm. The Mustangs continued to struggle, only converting on a third of their shots. The Blues improved on their lead with a 16-2 run to end the first half, topping it off with an identical buzzer beater 3-pointer to take a 45-24 lead at halftime.
 
The second half began with a slow third quarter, as both Western and Toronto only scored 14 and 10 points, respectively. Henry Tan's third quarter performance helped the Mustangs outscore the Varsity Blues in the frame, with the fifth-year guard talling five points in the third. 
 
The Mustangs began the fourth quarter with a 7-2 run, but Toronto replied with a run of their own to maintain their lead. In the final five minutes of the game, Western got into a rhythm defensively and managed to bring the game within single digits, but the Varsity Blues lead was too much to overcome, with Toronto taking a 66-53 win.
 
The Mustangs will be back in action on Saturday, November 4, when they play the Ryerson Rams on home court at Alumni Hall at 8 p.m.