SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. – Twenty points from Omar Shiddo helped lead the Western Mustangs to a 79-67 win over the Algoma Thunderbirds on Friday night at the George Leach Centre.
 
The win improves Western's record to 4-11 on the season, snaps the Mustangs recent two-game losing streak, and puts the team into a tie for third in the OUA West alongside Algoma who hold an identical 4-11 record.
 
Shiddo's 20-point performance is one off his season-high of 21, a mark he set back on January 6 at home against the Queen's Gaels. Three other Mustangs hit double digits in the win, with Eriq Jenkins contributing 11 points while Cam Morris and Ian Smart each adding 10.
 
The first quarter was a tale of two halves, with the Mustangs jumping out to a 19-3 lead after the first five minutes, however the Thunderbirds stormed back in the latter portion of the first, scoring 14 points to cut Western's lead to 19-17 after 10 minutes.
 
Western respond to Algoma's run with a dominant second quarter, starting things off with a 9-0 run before keeping the Thunderbirds scoreless for the majority of the frame. Western closed out the half with a 13-2 run to take a 43-25 lead after two quarters.
 
Algoma closed the gap in the second half, outscoring Western 19-18 in the third and 23-18 in the fourth, but the Mustangs early lead was too much to overcome with the purple and white earning a 79-67 win.
 
Western will wrap-up their weekend schedule on Saturday night with another contest against Algoma. Game time is set for 8 p.m. at the George Leach Centre, and fans can tune in to all the action live on OUA.tv