WATERLOO, Ont. – Despite a career-high 28 points from Julia Curran, the strong shooting of the Laurier Golden Hawks led them to a 72-59 win over the Western Mustangs on Saturday afternoon at the Athletic Complex Gym.

The Mustangs, who entered the week in the 11th spot in the OUA RPI, will drop to 7-11 on the season, while the Golden Hawks move to 12-7 after coming into this week in sixth on the RPI.

After being held to single-digit scoring in the team's recent victory over Waterloo, Curran bounced back in a big way against the Golden Hawks in on Saturday. Curran's efforts were visible from all over the court as she grabbed eleven rebounds for her third double-double of the year while adding a pair of blocks in the competitive West Division contest.

Mackenzie Puklicz also scored in double-figures for Western as she recorded 14 points to go along with two steals. Victoria Heine led the Western rebounding effort with 12 in the game while dishing out four assists.

The Golden Hawks connected on 44 percent of their shots from beyond the arc, knocking down 11 three-pointers in the win. Veteran Kaitlyn Schenck topped the Laurier scoresheet with 17 points in her final regular season home contest. Nicole Morrison and Irena Rynkiewicz also hit double digits with 12 and 11 points in the win.

Curran was aggressive on the offensive end of the floor from the opening tipoff and helped to the Golden Hawks would be a common theme throughout the afternoon, but especially in the opening frame as Laurier connected on four shots from beyond the arc in the first quarter. The long-range potency of the Golden Hawks lead to a 23-16 Mustang deficit heading into the second frame.

Western rookie Jade Codinera came provided defensive energy throughout the second quarter but a balanced scoring attack from Laurier kept their offence clicking on all cylinders to give the home side a 38-25 lead at the half.

The front court efforts of Heine and Curran sparked a Western run late in the third quarter, to help cut into Laurier's lead, with the Golden Hawks taking a 53-45 lead into the final frame.

Despite the late-game contributions from Curran and Puklicz, who combined for all of Western's 14 points in the fourth quarter, the Mustangs were unable to overcome the deficit, with Laurier walking away with a 72-59 victory.

The Mustangs will be back in action this Wednesday, February 15, as they prepare to host the Brock Badgers in one of Western's final two regular season contests. The game is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. and fans can catch the action live on OUA.tv.