Box Score LONDON, Ont. – Fourth-year guard Maddy Horst scored a team-high 10 points to go along with six rebounds to help lead the Western women's basketball team in a 98-44 loss to the McMaster Marauders on Senior Day in Alumni Hall.
The game also proved to be a celebration for the career of Laura Graham, who played her final game as a Mustang ahead of her graduation. Graham, who has become a pillar of the program over the years, finished her career with a well-deserved acknowledgement of her dedication to the purple and white.
"It's meant so much to me to be a part of this program and it's something I'll always value," said Graham. "My coaches have helped make me a better leader every day and that's something I'll always carry with me. Playing here has given me the chance to meet my best friends and compete for some incredible teams. It's been a great experience."
With the loss, the Mustangs end their season with a 5-19 record and sit in eighth place in the OUA West division standings to conclude the year. The Marauders win improves their record to 21-3, as they head into the postseason atop the OUA West division standings and look forward to a first-round bye through the playoffs.
Western entered Senior Day with a rejuvenated lineup to begin the game, most notably with the return of Julia Curran, but regardless of the Mustangs' revamped lineup, it was the Marauders who looked like they had the extra spark to begin the game. McMaster picked apart Western's defence from beyond the arc throughout the first quarter, running their offence to perfection and jumping out to an 18-0 run to begin the frame. The Mustangs' young prospects would soon find their footing offensively, but not before McMaster had built up a decisive lead, as Western went into the second facing a 26-9 deficit.
Western's energy seemed to be reinvigorated to begin the second quarter, as they began to win the rebounding battle and fuel their offence through the fast break. However, an inability to slow down the Marauders on the other end of the floor left the purple and white stuck 52-27 heading into halftime.
The second half was much of the same for the purple and white, as the Marauders continued their consistent attack on the offensive end and built up an insurmountable lead early in the third. Western continued their constant effort until the final buzzer, but the experience of a veteran McMaster team proved to be too much to overcome as the purple and white ended their season with a 98-44 loss.
"I hope I was able to teach some of the rookies this season, they all grew so much as players, so that was great to watch," said Graham. "I got a lot of satisfaction from being able to be a leader to them. The program is in good hands."
