LONDON, Ont. - Fourth-year forward Jedson Tavernier put up a team-high 16 points and a game-winning layup at the buzzer to help lead the Western Mustangs men's basketball team to a 78-76 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks on Friday evening in Alumni Hall.

"We've been working on our offensive rebounding all week long. I knew that a long shot could come off the rim in a funny way so I just crashed the boards, put it back up, and it was lucky enough to go in," said Tavernier on his game-changing bucket in the final seconds.

Tavernier added five rebounds, four steals, and three assists in the victory to go along with his 16 points, leading the team with a multi-faceted performance.

With the win, the Mustangs improve to a 6-6 record on the year, as they begin the new year off on a high note, remaining in second place in the OUA West Division. The Golden Hawks' loss will drop their record to 3-8 on the season, as they sit in sixth place in the OUA West Division, hoping to surpass Waterloo with a win next game.

Four other Mustangs scored in double figures for the purple and white, as Omar Shiddo and Eriq Jenkins each put up ten points while Christopher Clegg and Nikola Farkic recorded 11 and 15 points, respectively.

"He's great. Nik is a great passer and a heck of a point guard and anytime we can get him more aggressive shooting the ball and looking to score, he makes us tougher to play," said Mustangs' head coach Brad Campbell on Farkic's scoring effort. "We want him to play aggressive and get more shots and he just came out and took it upon himself to make good decisions and make good shots. He was huge for us."

The Golden Hawks were led by star guard Tevaun Kokko, who put up 22 points and four assists in the loss. Amazingly, after being held scoreless through the first half, Kokko went on to lead the game in points with all 22 coming in the second half, trying to will his team to victory.

The Mustangs opened the first quarter struggling to produce on offence, as the Golden Hawks' full court press seemed to rattle the Mustangs to begin the game. Western countered by implementing a press of their own, slowing down the Laurier scoring effort and grinding their way back in the game. The Laurier offence would soon find their rhythm midway through the quarter behind the three-point shot while spreading the Western defence thin. The long-range shooting would propel the Golden Hawks to a 15-13 lead heading into the second quarter.

Foul trouble hindered the Mustangs to start the second frame, as Laurier continued their strong offensive execution in the half court to build up the lead. The Mustangs were held in the game by the efforts of Jenkins and Tavernier, as the pair kept the purple and white within striking distance. The ball movement of the Laurier offence continued to fuel open shots as the three-point opportunities continued to present themselves. However, Tavernier would quickly respond with a pair of threes of his own, leading the Mustang scoring effort and putting the purple and white back in the game, with Western going on a 12-2 run to end the quarter trailing 34-32.

Western came out of the gate firing in the second half, finding their rhythm on offence behind a much-improved half court offence. Jenkins continued to spark the point production for the purple and white. Shots began to fall with regularity for both teams midway through the third, as neither side found a way to make a sustainable run throughout the quarter. A pair of threes from Farkic and Tavernier would give the Mustangs the 60-55 lead heading into the fourth.

???????Tavernier continued to be both a scoring option and facilitator on the offensive end of the floor to begin the fourth, helping the purple and white to sustain their lead. However, the three-point shooting of the Golden Hawks refused to be denied, as Kokko continuously dug his team out of the hole with his point production, scoring 16 of Laurier's 21 points in the quarter. Both sides would trade baskets through the final minutes of play, with neither side able to pull away until the final second of the matchup, where Tavernier's buzzer beater sent the Mustangs off with a 78-76 victory.

"We just want to keep this momentum going. We have the second spot in the West right now and we're just trying to build that gap between us and the other teams. Our goal is to look towards the playoffs and build towards that success," said Tavernier on the team's goals heading into the new year.

The Mustangs will be back in action this Friday, January 12 where they will take on the Lakehead Thunderwolves in their first meeting of the season. The game is set to begin at 8:00 p.m. and fans can catch the action live at OUA.tv.