SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. – Led by 14 points from Karissa Kajorinne, the Algoma Thunderbirds came out on top on Friday night, defeating the Western Mustangs 51-43 at the George Leach Centre.
With the loss to the Thunderbirds, the Mustangs record moves to 5-10 on the season as they continue to battle for third place in the OUA West division alongside the Waterloo Warriors identical 5-10 record. Algoma's win is their second victory of the season, and they sit in fifth place in the OUA West division with a 2-13 record.
Julia Curran led the way for the Mustangs offence on Friday night, scoring a game-high 16 points in the loss.
After scoring 13 points against the stifling interior defence of the Carleton Ravens in Western's last contest, Curran proved to be a consistent presence once again for the purple and white, leading the team on both ends of the floor. Curran's efforts on both sides of the ball gave the Mustangs a comeback opportunity late in the game, but ultimately the offence was unable to find its footing as the Thunderbirds prevailed in the low-scoring affair.
Curran was the only Mustang to score in double-figures in the contest, as the shots simply were not falling for the Mustangs tonight.
Mackenzie Puklicz, who has led Western in points per game all season with 16.8, was held to nine points tonight while
Laura Graham chipped in eight points in the loss.
The Mustangs offence started slowly in the opening frame, while the Thunderbirds offence was clicking on all cylinders. Algoma's shooters knocked down a pair of threes early and left Western with a six-point deficit heading into the second quarter. Western moved the ball well in the second frame, but the ball movement didn't turn into points as they went into halftime down 27-17.
The long-range opportunities refused to connect for the purple and white, as Western would hit just two throughout the entire game. On the other side of the ball, Algoma, who has been one of the nation's elite teams from beyond the arc, punished the Mustangs' defence with eight three-pointers made throughout the evening. Turnovers, which have plagued Western throughout their current losing streak, added up in the second half, extinguishing the comeback attempt as Algoma collected their second win of the season by an eight-point margin.
The Mustangs will be back in action this Saturday, February 4, as they will remain in Sault Ste. Marie for an immediate rematch against the Thunderbirds. The game is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. and fans can catch the action live at OUA.tv.
