LONDON, Ont. - Fifth-year guard Mackenzie Puklicz put up a game-high 24 points in her final regular season home game dawning the purple and white to help lead the team to a 71-45 victory over the Brock Badgers on Wednesday evening in Alumni Hall.

With the win, the Mustangs improve to a 13-10 record on the regular season with only one game remaining on the schedule before the postseason, further separating themselves from Guelph to maintain fourth place in the OUA West division. The Badgers' loss will drop them to a 6-17 record on the regular season as they remain in seventh place in the OUA West division standings.

The matchup against the Badgers wasn't only significant in terms of playoff seeding, but marked the Mustangs' Senior Night, as they celebrated the careers of Puklicz, Victoria Heine, and Alex Van Heeswyk, and their rich contributions to the Western basketball program.

"Victoria, Mackenzie, and Alex have given their heart and soul to the program," said head coach Brian Cheng on his graduating players. It's not easy playing basketball at the university level while going to school so credit has to go to them - they're special individuals. They helped improve the culture of our team and the results that we've achieved so far with them will hopefully carry us into the future."

"It's meant everything to play for this program. My experience here has been nothing but incredible and I've enjoyed all five seasons here, especially playing next to a teammate like Mackenzie," said Heine, looking back on her career with the purple and white.

Puklicz did it all for the Mustangs to the cheers of the Western faithful, as she chipped in nine rebounds, two assists, and four steals in the victory before going down late in the fourth with an injury.

"Since grade five I knew I wanted to be a Mustang. I'm from London so it means a lot to watch that dream come true in my hometown," said Puklicz on what it's meant to represent the purple and white. "When I see our young players grow and develop, I feel like I've done my job. The job of a veteran is to put them under your wing and bring them along the way. I feel like Victoria and I have done that."

Maddy Horst also had herself a night, leading the team in the second half and putting up 19 points in the game to go along with three assists.

Puklicz was the first Mustang to get on the scoreboard for the purple and white, as Western came out of the gate on a strong 14-0 run.

Despite the balanced scoring from the Mustangs, it was the defence which led the way through the opening quarter, forcing the Badgers into a slew of contesting jump shots and not allowing a basket until late in the quarter. The Western offence continued to click on all cylinders, led by 10 early points by Puklicz as Western went into the second quarter with a 24-5 lead.

The Badgers' offence began to find their footing early in the frame, but consistent ball movement and accurate shooting from beyond the arc would allow Western to maintain a double-digit lead. The Badgers would spark a short run midway through the quarter, trimming down the Mustangs lead bit by bit, but strong offensive consistency from Horst would keep Western afloat as they went into halftime with a 39-27 lead.

The Mustangs continued to move the ball with purpose to start the third quarter while regaining their composure on the defensive side of the ball, creating turnovers and running the fast break.

Western held Brock scoreless for the majority of the quarter while Horst and Puklicz thrived in the high-pace offence, scoring at will for the purple and white as they extended their lead to 61-35 heading into the fourth. The fourth quarter was much of the same for Western, as they dominated on the defensive end for the remainder of the game and cruised to a 71-45 victory.

"You always want to build good habits heading into the playoffs and I think we did that - we grew as a team tonight. It's important that we keep and fortifying ourselves as a unit as we ready ourselves for the playoffs," said Brian Cheng on his team looking forward to the postseason.

The Mustangs will be back in action this Saturday, February 17 when they will travel to Guelph to take on the Gryphons in their final game of the season, a meeting which may have serious implications in terms of playoff seeding.

The game is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. and fans can catch the action live on OUA.tv.