Coming off a big win over the Laurier Golden Hawks to kick off 2018 the Mustangs will continue their homestand this weekend with a pair of matchups against the Lakehead Thunderwolves at Alumni Hall.

The purple and white improved to a 7-5 record with their win over the Golden Hawks this past Friday, giving them sole possession of fourth place in the OUA West Division, as they continue to chase Lakehead and McMaster, who hold 8-4 records in a tie for second place in the West.

Friday evening saw the Mustangs play host the Golden Hawks as both teams struggled to score to begin the evening. However, Western soon found its footing in the second quarter, making a run before eventually blowing the game wide open. The Mustangs, who have built up their identity as a defensive-minded team, locked down the Golden Hawks half-court sets through the second half, eventually cruising to the 69-49 victory.

Western vs. Lakehead– Friday, January 12 at 6:00 p.m. - Watch live on OUA.tv

The Mustangs will be entering their interdivisional matchup against the Thunderwolves hoping to move up in the standings, as Western continues to chase Lakehead's 8-4 record with a 7-5 record of their own, giving Friday's game potential playoff implications later in the year. In their previous and only meeting last season, Western escaped with a 76-71 victory over Lakehead on the road. Mackenzie Puklicz will be looking to replicate her previous performance against the Thunderwolves, as she put up a game-high 27 points to go along with seven rebounds, carrying the team to victory. However, this year's Lakehead team has evolved since last year's 8-11 team, sitting just one game back from the top stop in the division.

Lakehead's newfound success on offence has come mainly from two factors - their pace and their ball movement. The Thunderwolves sit third in the nation in field goal attempts per game, creating quick shots while racking up a respectable 71 points per game. The team also dishes out 16.5 assists per game, a stat which could prove to be a problem against a Western defence which has struggled to defend against teams boasting high assist numbers all season. On the other side of the ball, Lakehead has managed to rank top two in steals, a slight improvement from last season from a team which has proven to have evolved on nearly all fronts.

???????Lakehead will be led by veteran forward Leashja Grant, who is far and away the Thunderwolves focus on offence, averaging 23.2 points per game on 48.1 percent from the field. Grant has proven to be unstoppable for the Thunderwolves this season, averaging a double-double on the year with 13.7 rebounds to go along with 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per game, respectively. Game planning for Grant will be a new challenge for the purple and white, as she is new to the Lakehead program after transferring as a starter from Texas Tech University in 2015.