HAMILTON – Fifth-year guard Mackenzie Puklicz put up a team-high 15 points to go along with five rebounds and eight steals in the Mustangs 61-51 loss to the McMaster Marauders in an OUA Quarter-final matchup on Saturday afternoon at the Burridge Gym.
 
With the loss the Mustangs have been eliminated from the OUA playoffs, while the Marauders advance to the OUA Semifinals this coming Wednesday.
 
As she's done countless times throughout her Western career, Puklicz led the way for her team in her final game as a Mustang. Her 15 points led the Mustangs offence, and she also made an impact on the defensive end, leading all players with eight steals and two blocks.
 
Maddy Horst was next up on the Western scoresheet with 14 points, while Julia Curran turned in a double-double performance with 10 points and 11 rebounds on Saturday.
 
Linnaea Harper led all players with 18 points coming off 7-11 shooting along with going 2-2 from the free throw line. Two other Marauders scored in double digits, with Olivia Wilson and Sarah Gates registering 12 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Both teams got off to a slow start on Saturday, with the first basket not falling until two minutes into the game and the two sides combining for just 10 points in the opening five minutes, with McMaster holding a 6-4 lead.
 
The Marauders went on an 8-0 run midway through the opening quarter, however Puklicz broke the streak with back-to-back steals and a pair of layups to pull Western to within four points and halt McMaster's momentum. A layup from Heine finished off the scoring for the quarter, with the game tied at 13-13.
 
The second quarter started out with both teams trading baskets, however turnovers hindered both the Mustangs and Marauders, with neither team being able to get into a rhythm on offence. The back-and-forth play continued throughout the frame with McMaster taking a 29-27 lead at the half.
 
The Marauders slowly extended their lead in the opening minutes of the third frame, on their way to holding a 40-35 advantage at the midway point of the quarter. Western remained within striking distance of the home side thanks in part to six points from Curran and another four from Puklicz. After 30 minutes the Marauders held a 46-41 advantage heading into the final quarter.
 
It continued to be a point-for-point affair for most of the fourth until back-to-back three-pointers from Gates and Harper late in the quarter swung the momentum into McMaster's favour, with the Marauders closing things out on a 9-0 run to claim a 61-51 win.