LONDON, Ont. - Following a tough weekend road trip which saw the purple and white drop a pair of games against the Toronto Varsity Blues and the Ryerson Rams, the Mustangs will be back on the road this weekend as they prepare to take on a pair of struggling teams in the Nipissing Lakers and the Laurentian Voyageurs.
The pair of losses this weekend dropped Western to a 1-8 record on the regular season, as they sit at the bottom of the OUA West division standings. The games once again highlighted just how injury-ridden Western's roster has been from the outset of the season with key absences still plaguing the roster.
Western once again played both games without starting point guard Maddy Horst and two-time OUA All-Star Julia Curran, both out with lower-body injuries, while several Mustangs played through less-severe injuries throughout the weekend. The shortened lineup forced Western's rookies to take up much of the responsibility, as four rookies played extended minutes in both games.
Western's young core gave consistent energy and defensive effort throughout the weekend, but an inability to slow down the three-point shot against Toronto and find consistent baskets against Ryerson were the keys behind both losses. Toronto shot an impressive 12-26 from beyond the arc in Friday's matchup while Western went 14/50 from the field against Ryerson, as the shortened lineup proved to be a factor in the team's fatigue down the stretch.
However, entering this weekend, Western will be facing a pair of teams that have also been struggling as of late in Nipissing and Laurentian. Western will be traveling into North Bay, Ontario to take on the 0-8 Lakers on Friday evening before moving on to Sudbury, Ontario to take on the 2-6 Voyageurs on Saturday evening.
Friday's matchup will be the first meeting between Western and Nipissing since December of last year, where the Mustangs came out on top in a 58-42 victory in Alumni Hall. However, Western will once again be without Curran, who dominated the Lakers with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds on the evening to help lift the team to victory. Defending the three-point line will undoubtedly be an easier task for the purple and white this weekend against the Lakers, as Nipissing has struggled to shoot the ball as season long with a 23.0 3FG% throughout their first eight games.
However, despite the Lakers' shooting struggles, it's been the Nipissing defence which has held them back all season long, as they sit at the bottom of the OUA in points allowed per game and near the bottom in both steals and blocks per game. The porous Nipissing defence might be just what Western's rookies need to spark a breakout performance as they look to climb up the standings.
The following night will see Western take on the 6-2 Laurentian Voyageurs, who currently hold seventh-place in the OUA East division standings, for their first meeting since Western pulled out a 78-74 victory over Laurentian to kick off December last season. However, after the graduation of Mackenzie Puklicz, Western's Laura Graham will be asked to take up the scoring mantle this time around, as she has all season long.
However, in contrast to Nipissing, if Western isn't disciplined defensively, Laurentian could very well burn the purple and white all night long from beyond the arc. The Lakers lead the OUA in three-point attempts and second in three-pointers made while the Mustangs have struggled all season long at defending the long-range shot. Laurentian has been around the middle of the pack in terms of defence, which may prove to be a struggle against a Western team heading into Sudbury for their second night of a back-to-back on the road.
Although the purple and white have struggled as of late, currently suffering a seven-game losing streak, this weekend could potentially be quite the turn around for this young Mustangs team with two winnable games on the docket. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 6:00 P.M. EST and fans can catch all the action live on OUA.tv.
