The Mustangs will be back on the road for a meeting with the Laurier Golden Hawks in Waterloo this Wednesday evening before travelling to Hamilton to take on the McMaster Marauders on Saturday afternoon as they look to climb up the division rankings heading into the postseason.

After splitting a pair of games this past week, earning a home-win over the Waterloo Warriors before falling to the Windsor Lancers on the road, the Mustangs found themselves remaining in fourth place in the OUA West division with an 11-9 record nearing the end of the regular season.

Western came out of the gate on fire against Waterloo, outscoring the Warriors 14-5 in the opening quarter and running away with it in the second half on route to a 30-point blowout victory and the team's third win in a row. Third-year forward Julia Curran led the way for the purple and white on the evening, scoring a game-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds on the night while four other Mustangs managed to put up double-figure point totals for Western in the 74-44 victory.

The following Saturday proved to be far less relaxed for the Mustangs' defence, as the sharpshooting of the Windsor Lancers forced Western to tire themselves out from constantly closing out on perimeter shooters while struggling to secure offensive rebounds.

The Mustangs battled for nearly the entire game behind an even-strength offensive effort, as four Mustangs put up double figures on the evening, but a third-quarter scoring drought would be too much for the purple and white to overcome as Windsor walked away with the 75-63 victory.

Western at Laurier – Wednesday, February 7 at 6:00 p.m. - Watch live on OUA.tv

Despite the close proximity between these two teams in the standings, the outcome was anything but close the last time these two teams met in early January, as Western held Laurier to 29 percent shooting from the field on their way to a 69-49 home victory.

Veteran forward Victoria Heine dominated the paint against the Golden Hawks throughout the contest, scoring a game-high 19 points and posting an emphatic double-double performance with 13 rebounds on the night.

The Golden Hawks, on the other hand, didn't find their offensive footing until late in the third quarter, where it was simply too little, too late for Laurier as Western quickly put a stop to the opposing scoring run on their way to the victory.

However, Laurier remains right on the heels of the purple and white in terms of playoff positioning, as the team currently holds a 10-10 record on the season coming into their Wednesday night matchup. Laurier has been respectable all season on offence, sitting 10th in the OUA in threes attempted and 15th in threes made with 6.1 per game, proving themselves capable from beyond the arc.

The team also sits top-ten in assists per game and sixth in turnovers per game, a key against a Western team which has struggled to contain rapid ball movement all season long. However, the Mustangs will be looking to take advantage of their size as they did in their previous matchup, as Laurier ranks as one of the worst rebounding teams in the nation.

The Golden Hawks will be led by guard Nicole Morrison who is averaging 19.9 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game, and four assists per game to go along with 2.2 steals per game on the defensive end.

Morrison has remained the only Golden Hawk to average double-digit points on the season, as the Mustangs will no doubt focus in on Morrison in the hopes of derailing the Laurier offence.

Western at McMaster– Saturday, February 10 at 1:00 p.m. - Watch live on OUA.tv

The Mustangs will be going up against one of the best teams the OUA has to offer in the Marauders, however, the last time Western matched up against McMaster, they nearly escaped with the home victory, falling 83-80 in a closely contested matchup.

It was a back and forth affair throughout the game, as both offences came out on fire to start the first quarter and never slowed down in the high scoring affair.

However, as it has on more than a few occasions this season, their inability to match their opponents' long-range shooting eventually came to haunt the purple and white, as the Mustangs were outshot 39-15 in points from beyond the arc in the tight loss. Puklicz once again proved to be a huge scoring threat for the Mustangs throughout the night, pouring in 28 points to lead both the team and the game in scoring.

Much like their previous opponent in Windsor, the Mustangs will be going up against one of the country's best long-range threats in McMaster. The Marauders specialize in running a small-ball lineup composed of nearly all shooters, as essentially every player present on the floor has the ability to connect from deep.

McMaster ranks first in threes made per game, second in threes attempted, ninth in three-point percentage while moving the ball with incredible unselfishness, ranking top-ten in assists per game.

Despite the strong offence, it's the defence which has been the real source of consistency for McMaster this season. The Marauders have held opponents to the second-lowest percentage in the nation from beyond the arc while holding opponents to just 61 points per game. This defence will no doubt be troubling to a Western offence which has just begun to find its rhythm from three-point range.

McMaster will be led by veteran guard Hilary Hanaka, who is leading the team with 16.1 points per game on 46.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc while chipping in 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Forward Linnaea Harper has also played a big role for the Marauders this season, dropping 13.9 points per game while adding 6.9 rebounds per game to help aid McMaster.