GUELPH, Ont - A 26-point explosion for Omar Shiddo in the second half helped propel the Western Mustangs to a 87-77 win in the season opener over the Guelph Gryphons on Wednesday night at the Guelph Gryphons Athletic Centre. 

Shiddo led the Mustangs with his 26 points, followed by Jedson Tavernier who scored 16 points while converting 4 of 4 from beyond the arc. Julian Walker aided the rebounding efforts to pull down a team-high 9 boards alongside 10 points of his own.

Tommy Yanchus was the focus point of Guelph's offence, recording 22 points on the night. Malcolm Glanville was another strong contributor, tacking 17 onto the score sheet. Rasheed Weekes led both teams in rebounds, recording 12 in the game.

Western, eager to start the season strong, came out of the gates firing and initiated an immediate 9-0 run. Activity on the defensive end helped the Mustangs create turnovers and lead to some easy buckets in transition. As both teams traded possession through the first frame, Guelph managed to force a mid-quarter run of their own, and a couple of traded buckets concluded the quarter at 19-16.

As the second quarter begun, Koote took charge of the offensive effort, scoring 5 consecutive points for the purple and white. Unfortunately the Mustangs weren't able to rejoice the lead for too long, with the Gryphons clawing back and keeping the game close. With the quarter remaining tightly-knit, 3 straight shots from beyond the arc pushed Guelph ahead, leading 34-37 at halftime.

The Gryphons continued to ride their momentum in the second half of the game, holding onto the lead for the entirety of the third quarter. The Mustangs, however, remained unfazed by the lead, and were motivated by Shiddo's 9 points in the quarter to keep themselves in the game.

After trailing by 55-59 heading into the final quarter, Western pulled themselves back in front within the first 2 minutes. Refusing to take the foot off the gas, Shiddo remained hot from the field to drop an additional 17 points in the last 10 minutes to bring back the Mustangs for a win.

Next up for the Mustangs is a contest against the Laurier Golden Hawks in Waterloo on Saturday evening. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m., and fans can catch all the action live on OUA.tv