LONDON, Ont. – A Brock lead established early in the first quarter helped create a divide too great for Western to bridge, resulting in a 92-51 loss Wednesday night at Alumni Hall.
 
The loss updates Western's record to 14-9, and they remain in place of second in the OUA West having already clinched the spot, meanwhile the win reinforces Brock's position as the uncontested leader of the same division, with a record of 21-2 on the year.
 
"Brock's one of the best teams in the country," said head coach Brad Campbell. "Sometimes I think when you prepare for teams we can watch film and talk about all this stuff but once you see it up front, I don't think it really sunk in until we got in the game, and that first quarter was a real struggle. We got rattled a bit, and then our offensive execution was off, probably felt a little sorry about ourselves, and then it just got out of hand."
 
Marko Kovac led the offence for the Mustangs, recording 13 points on the night, nine of which came from beyond the arc on efficient 75% shooting from three-point range. Omar Shiddo also made an impact with 12 points of his own, while also leading the team with two steals. Christopher Clegg led the team in rebounds, recording six.
 
Johneil Simpson of the Badgers exploded on the offensive end, recording a game-high 27 points. His impressive shooting from beyond the arc proving exactly why he leads the league in three-pointers. He was just as active on defence, with five blocks and two steals. Dani Elgadi also recorded 13 points, meanwhile Tyler Brown led both teams with eight rebounds.
 
As per Mustang tradition on the final home game of the regular season, Western celebrated Senior Day on Wednesday, recognizing players Henry Tan, Jedson Tavernier, and Cameron Morris prior to the game.
 
"It felt good, and it's crazy how fast it's gone by, four years you know," replied Tavernier regarding the ceremony. "It was nice to think about all the memories over the four years, and just nice being commemorated for all that and all the hard work."
 
"It was great to see what Western does to honour their guys," said first-year Julian Walker on the Senior Day experience. "It shows the kind of culture we have, we honour the guys that have been there for them so much, and it definitely makes me want to be a part of it."
 
Brock came out of the gates firing, attacking the basket nearly every possession to produce a 13-0 run to begin the quarter.
 
With the early offensive spurt serving as a catalyst, the Badgers fell into a consistent shooting rhythm while remaining equally as tenacious on the defensive end. Western, stunned by the initial run, fell flat for the remaining minutes, shooting only 19% from the field compared to Brock's 77%. This only served to widen the gap, with Western trailing 29-8 at the end of the first quarter.
 
"We knew we would have to be focused and ready, and I don't think, right at the start of the game, they were just much more physical than we were," said Campbell. "We didn't match up to their physicality, defensively we just struggled to deal with their ball movement and gave up way too much middle penetration, and on the offensive end we struggled all evening."
 
While Western continued to battle, they remained unsuccessful in making a dent in the gap, with Brock continuing to use their athleticism and length to keep their lead intact. Tan was able to turn a Badger turnover into a quick layup to beat the buzzer, but it came to little avail as the Mustangs continued to trail 50-25 at halftime.
 
The remainder of the game followed the same narrative, with Brock continuing to score and increasing their lead. Western rotated its lineups and tried to adjust with some fresh legs on the court but were unsuccessful, as the Badgers walked away with a 92-51 win.
 
"This will be a good character test. We've got to wipe the swipe clean – to a certain extent – but we also have to remember the lesson and move on and get better," sand Campbell.
 
Western will be tying up their laces for the last game of the regular season, when they taking on the Guelph Gryphons at the Guelph Gryphons Athletic Centre on Saturday, February 17. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m., and fans can catch all the action live on OUA.tv.