LONDON, Ont. - Third-year guard Omar Shiddo poured in a team-high 16 points to go along with five assists to help lead the Western men's basketball team in an 82-51 loss to the Carleton Ravens on Friday evening in Alumni Hall.

With the loss, the Mustangs drop to 3-2 on the season as they remain in second place in the OUA West division standings. The Ravens' win maintains their perfect 4-0 record, as they sit atop the OUA East division standings.

Nikola Farkic also scored in double-figures for the purple and white in the loss, chipping in 12 points on an efficient 5/8 shooting to help spark the Mustangs' offence.

The Ravens were led by guard Yasiin Joseph, who scored a game-high 19 points on 8/13 shooting to lead the team to their fourth-straight victory.

"We stuck with them through the first half, but they just came out of halftime with more energy than us and then that third quarter just put us in a hole," said fifth-year Alex Coote. "We had a pretty strong defensive game, but we didn't push the ball in transition the way we wanted to and just couldn't get the looks we wanted to against that defence, but credit to them. That's why they're National Champions."

"We got killed on the glass and giving up second chances to teams like Carleton isn't going to have good results," said Mustangs head coach Brad Campbell. "They made us fight for every single point and that's why they're the best team in the country. But we're going to have to put this one behind us and try not to dwell on it."

Despite the dominance of the Carleton program, Western held their own against the Ravens to tip off the first quarter, clamping down on defence to hold Carleton to 0/4 shooting from beyond the arc in the frame. On the other side of the ball, four threes from the purple and white, including two from Julian Walker, helped Western to stay in the game against a talented Ravens roster. However, nine first-quarter free throws from the Ravens allowed them to hold a slim 23-21 lead heading into the second quarter.

But as hot as the Mustangs began the game, the Ravens' defence quickly found their form to begin the second quarter, forcing Western into a pair of shot clock violations to open the frame. Turnovers plagued the Ravens' offence throughout the half, but an ability to put a stop on the Mustangs' three-point barrage saw them enter halftime with a 44-31 lead.

Carleton extended their lead in the second half behind a persistent perimeter defence, holding Western scoreless for nearly the entire quarter while find their own offence in the half court setting. After being held 0/10 from the field in the quarter, the Mustangs found themselves facing a 63-33 deficit heading into the final quarter of play.

The fourth quarter was much of the same for the purple and white, as the offence continued to struggle against the tenacity of the of the Carleton defence, ending the night with an 82-51 loss.

"There are a lot of lessons to be learned from this game, so it helps us focus on what we need to work on this week in practice," said Coote. "We're just going to head into tomorrow, play our game, and try to take a winnable game. I don't think tonight knocked our confidence, it just helped show us that there's work to be done."

"This game acted as a true test for us and helped us to witness the kind of basketball we want to get to," said Campbell. "It's a kind of blessing to play a team like Carleton early because it shows us the steps that we need to take moving forward. That's the level we're trying to aspire to, so we're going to bounce back and try to reach that level tomorrow against a very competitive Ottawa team."

The Mustangs will be back in action Saturday, November 10, where they will host the Ottawa Gee-Gees in Alumni Hall. The game is scheduled to tip off at 8:00 P.M. EST and fans can catch the action live on OUA.tv.