WINDSOR, Ont. - Fifth-year guard Mackenzie Puklicz put up a game-high 18 points to go along with six rebounds and four steals in the Mustangs 75-63 loss to the Windsor Lancers on Saturday evening at the St. Denis Centre.

With the loss, the Mustangs drop to 11-9 on the season as they occupy fourth place in the OUA West Division with a narrow lead over the 10-10 Laurier Golden Hawks. The Lancers' win will give them a 16-4 record on the season as they increase their lead over the McMaster Marauders for first place in the West.

Three other Mustangs scored in double figures for the purple and white in the loss as Maddy Horst put up 15 points and five assists while Laura Graham was efficient all night, recording 10 points, five rebounds, and four assists for the Mustangs, showing her versatility. Victoria Heine also made her presence known, scoring 12 points on the night.

The Lancers' Jordan Gutt played a big role in securing the win over the purple and white as she put up 15 points and seven rebounds while going 5-9 from beyond the arc to pick apart the Mustangs from distance.

Julia Curran and Lancers' forward Emily Prevost went head-to-head through the opening frame, battling on the boards and defending well as neither team found themselves with a clear advantage through the opening minutes. Windsor, who has been one of the most potent teams from beyond the arc this season, found themselves struggling from deep to begin the night against a scrappy Western defence.

On the other side of the ball, it was an offence by committee for the purple and white, as the Mustangs worked with efficiency behind the ball movement of nearly the entire roster in the opening quarter. However, the rebounding advantage along with a pair of threes would give the Lancers a 19-15 lead heading into the second quarter.

Western continued to get initial stops to begin the second, but offensive rebounds would continue to kill the Mustangs, offering the Lancers second chances as Windsor began to find their rhythm from deep. Graham, who has been heating up for the Mustangs in the second half of this season, did her best to keep Western within reach nearing the end of the half as the Mustangs went into the half facing a 38-31 deficit.

Puklicz led the way to open the third quarter for the purple and white, attacking the basket, sparking a run, and cutting into the Lancer lead with the help of Heine and her close-range scoring. However, continued strong shooting from Windsor's Nyamuoch Teny and Gutt would keep the Lancers' lead alive as Western saw themselves once again fall behind by double digits nearing the end of the quarter. The threes would keep flowing for Windsor throughout the frame as they headed into the fourth with a 59-47 lead.

Curran was forced to the bench due to foul trouble for much of the fourth quarter, as the Lancers took advantage of a lack of size in the paint for the purple and white and earned themselves easy chances at the line. But despite the absence of Curran, the Mustangs played well in the fourth, as guards Puklicz and Horst led the way throughout the quarter to mount the Western comeback. However, the strong second-half shooting from the Lancers would simply be too much for the Mustangs to overcome as Windsor walked away with a 75-63 win.

The Mustangs will be back in action this Wednesday, February 7 when they will travel to Waterloo to take on the Laurier Golden Hawks in a high-stakes OUA West game for their second and final meeting of the season. The game is set to tip off at 6:00 p.m.