Box Score ST. CATHARINES, Ont - Omar Shiddo exploded for a huge 33-point night as he and the Western Mustangs pulled out a 96-91 overtime win over Brock Badgers on Saturday night.

Backing up his reputation as one of the most prolific scorers in the league, Shiddo's game-high 33 points proved to be crucial in the tightly-knit game. Another established veteran, Marko Kovac, also came up big with 17 points of his own alongside 7 boards. First-year forward Aaron Tennant was also able to give some good production off the bench, recording 13 points and 8 rebounds.
 
Cassidy Ryan spearheaded the Badgers' offence in the loss, scoring 29 points, as well as a game-high 12 rebounds. Teammates Tyler Brown and Noah LaPierre aided the Brock offence, contributing 16 and 11 points, respectively.
 
Having previously won a tough-fought game the prior week against McMaster, Western was able to carry this momentum into their match with Brock. Missing the scheduled game on Wednesday due to weather conditions, the additional rest proved useful as the Mustangs came out of the gates running. Extra energy helped the purple and white defence force several turnovers, and translated into easy offence. With quick ball movement, Western opened up the floor to hit several three-pointers and established an early lead, the score 26-16 at the end of the first.
 
Unfortunately, Western were unable to maintain this intensity for long as Brock answered back with a strong second quarter. A 6-0 run to begin the frame cemented the momentum in the favour of the Badgers. Size became a more prominent factor, as Brock's dominance on the boards gave them an edge in the paint. This initiated several second-chance opportunities as the gap began to close. Concluding the half with a pair of free-throws from Shiddo, Western narrowly remained ahead at 43-39.
 
Almost reminiscent of the previous two periods of play, the second half mirrored how both the teams had played in each respective quarter. The third frame was all Western, capitalizing on their effective shooting from beyond the arc to outscore their opponents 26-17. However, in a repetitive fashion, the Badgers came back with a huge fourth quarter push. With Brock leading by 6 points with a minute and half left, Kovac and Shiddo came up big in the clutch, hitting 2 back-to-back three-pointers to force the game into overtime. Refusing to give up, the Mustangs continued to push and make the most of their opportunity. With a steal and go-ahead bucket by Western guard Eriq Jenkins, the purple and white were able to clinch the game, and walked away the well-earned 96-91 win.

With the win, the Mustangs improve to 14-7, matching the record of the Badgers as both find themselves tied for second place in the OUA West division standings.
 
The Mustangs will be back in action, where they will return home on this Sunday to take on the Windsor Lancers in Alumni Hall. The game is scheduled to tip off at 5:00 P.M. EST and fans can catch all the action live on OUA.tv.