LONDON, Ont – The Western Mustangs final game before the winter break came down to the wire, with the Nipissing Lakers coming away with a narrow 88-83 win on Saturday night at Alumni Hall.
"When you've got games like that, every possession matters throughout the whole game, but especially in the fourth quarter. Today for instance, and yesterday even, we had some good layup opportunities and just can't convert. As a result some of those layups that we missed they went back in transition the other way and they scored layups, so they're kind of four point plays in a sense. Those really hurt us.
"We're producing good opportunities, we just have to make sure we cash some of those in and help our defence out."
"Tough luck, they made pushes and we were unable to stop them," said Eriq Jenkins on the loss. "We had open shots and didn't hit today. They killed us on the glass, which was a big part, it gave them second chance points and easy buckets. Unfortunately, our little comeback was just a little too late."
With the loss, the Mustangs will move to 5-6 on the year, with as they remain in second in the OUA West. The Lakers' win helps improve their record 5-4, good for seventh place in the tightly contested OUA East.
Jenkins led the Mustangs scoring efforts on Saturday, recording 25 points to match the season-high he previously established on November 17 against Ottawa. He also led the team's defensive and rebounding efforts, finishing with five steals and nine boards on the night.
The Lakers had two players scoring over twenty points, with Marcus Lewis and Ismael Kaba recording 26 and 23 points, respectively. Lewis, alongside Justin Shaver, led the rebounding charge, both recording 11 rebounds apiece.
Western established an intense pace right out of the gates, forcing turnovers to spur a 10-0 run, with six of those points coming in transition. However, Nipissing overcame the initial deficit by taking advantage of their size, and began kicking the ball in and out of the key to open up the floor. A three-point buzzer beater by Shiddo capped off a high-scoring opening quarter, and pushed the Mustangs into a 25-23 lead.
With the second quarter, Jenkins began to take charge on the offensive end, recording eight points in the frame. Turnovers by the Mustangs late in the half led to the Lakers continuing to attack the inside while making use of chances at the line, to overtake the Mustangs 44-42 at halftime.
The Mustangs began the second half with an aggressive approach, utilizing their speed to slice the Laker defence. They made a few quick layups to pull in front. On the contrary, Nipissing had their offence spurred by shots beyond the arc, hitting four three-points within the frame. The game continued to be close, with Nipissing holding a 63-60 lead heading into the fourth.
Nipissing began to pull away in the fourth, eventually building up a seven-point lead. The Mustangs continued to battle, with Jenkins recording seven points in the quarter to bridge the gap to within a possession. Unfortunately, the Lakers were able to close things out and take an 88-83 win.
The Mustangs will now enter the winter break, with their next contest not scheduled until Friday, January 5, when they will be taking on the Laurier Golden Hawks at Alumni Hall. Game time is set for 8 p.m., and fans can catch all the action live on OUA.tv.
