THUNDER BAY, Ont - Despite an incredible comeback by the Western Mustangs, they fell just short and suffered a tough 84-85 loss to the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Friday night.
 
Omar Shiddo led the purple and white on the offensive end, coming up big with 24 points and 5 assists - leading the team in both categories. Eriq Jenkins and Julian Walker were also prominent contributors, both scoring 18 points, respectively. They both also assisted on the boards, collectively pulling down 11 on the night.  
 
Isaiah Taylor was the go-to scorer for the Thunderwolves as he dropped a season-high 29 points on the night while simultaneously leading both teams with 9 rebounds. Teammate Alston Harris was also a large part of the Lakehead offense, putting up 14 points of his own.
 
Lakehead, eager to recover from a poor previous showing, came out of the gates firing and initiated an immediate 10-0 run. However, after a timeout to compose themselves, Western were able to swing the momentum in their favour - tightening up their defense and taking better shots - but unfortunately had this short-lived. They were unable to maintain a consistent scoring rhythm, and soon found themselves behind 8-27 at the end of the first.
 
Despite the lackadaisical effort Western had displayed earlier, they were able to change the pace of the game and begin clawing their way back into the game. Relying on the three-pointer, they lived beyond the arc and utilized this shot to propel a quick and fast-paced offense. Lakehead, seemingly losing steam, were unsuccessful in mirroring the Mustangs' scoring pace. Heading into halftime, the gap was cut a fair amount, Western now only trailing 31-44.
 
The momentum only carried forth into the latter half of the game, as a strong third quarter cut down the gap to single digits, Western inching towards striking distance when entering the final 10 minutes. Through forcing multiple turnovers and having a tenacious defense, they took the lead with only 4 minutes left to go. But as both teams exchanged points, Lakehead came up with a final bucket to put them ahead, and sealed the 84-85 loss, snapping Western's huge win streak.
 
The loss updates the Mustangs' record to 12-5 on the year as they drop to second place in the OUA West. The Lakers have their record for the season improved to 5-12 as they move up to seventh in the OUA Western conference.
 
The Mustangs will be back in action this Saturday, January 26, where they rematch the Lakehead Thunderwolves in the second of a 2-game series. The game is scheduled to tip off at 8:00 P.M. EST and fans can catch the action live on OUA.tv.