WATERLOO, Ont - Despite a 13-point turnaround in the second half, the Western Mustangs lost 63-70 to the Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday night at the Athletic Complex Gym.
Three Mustangs recorded points in the double digits. Omar Shiddo led with 14 points, followed by teammates Nikola Farkic and Eric Jenkins, who scored 13 and 12 points, respectively. Farkic also led the team in the rebounding category, pulling down 7 boards - 5 of which were on the offensive end.
Ali Sow recorded the game-high 19 points on the night, with Chuder Teny's 14 points also being a large proponent of the Laurier offence. Ben Stevens was an active player on the glass, recording 11 rebounds for the night.
As the game kicked off, Laurier capitalized on a slow start by Western to establish a 10-point lead midway through the first frame. The Golden Hawks took advantage of poor defensive effort to find the open man and convert on several shots from beyond the arc. With a final Laurier layup to beat the shot clock, Western trailed 15-26 at the end of the frame.
Laurier's momentum carried forward into the second quarter, maintaining a consistent scoring rhythm. Western followed suit, scoring at a relatively even pace to keep themselves in the game. Switching up to a half-court press allowed for Western to force several turnovers, but unfortunately the Mustangs weren't able to match the pace of the Golden Hawks. As the gap became progressively wider, the half concluded with Western behind 28-44.
Unwilling to count themselves out, the game turned out to be a tale of two halves; the Mustangs firing back with a 5-point run fresh out of the locker rooms. Despite being unable to get it going from the field, Western fiercely battled down-low to dominate the rebounding game and keep themselves in it. With a much needed three-pointer from Shiddo, the lead was brought down to single digits, finishing 47-53 heading into the final quarter.
Pushing forward with their scrappy style of play, Western dug deep and exchanged buckets down the stretch. However, the game remained just out of reach for the for the time that remained, with the Mustangs eventually suffering a tough loss.
The Mustangs will host their first home game of the season on Friday against the Queen's Gaels just before noon in the annual School Day game. Tip off is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at Alumni Hall where fans can catch all the action live.
