Box Score TORONTO, Ont. – The Ryerson Rams defeated the Mustangs' women's basketball team 85-73 on Saturday afternoon. Following twelve consecutive wins, the Mustangs have lost their first game to the Rams, marking their second loss of the season and the end to the most impressive record in the league. With the loss, the Mustangs will hover at a 12-2 record while the Rams rise to 10-2.
 
The first quarter promised the match to be a close one. A back-and-forth ensued that left the teams going into the second quarter tied 16 all. It was here that Ryerson began to pull ahead, putting the Mustangs at a 10-point deficit for several minutes. Looking to close the gap before the end of the half, guard Emma Johnson put up three points and post Rachel Fradgley sunk several baskets, and after missing her first two free-throws, Brett Fischer redeemed herself at the next opportunity. Despite the growth, the Rams held onto their 10-point lead, closing the half 39-29 with a threat to snap the Mustangs' winning streak.
 
With Johnson adding threes to the board and Saumure faking out the Rams' defense, the Purple and White shrunk the Rams' lead to 50-44 with less than half of the third quarter remaining. But between forward Jama Bin-Edward and guard Hayley Robertson, Ryerson would maintain its steady growth and keep just out of reach of Western. With a buzzer-beating three-pointer, Marin Scotten pushed the Rams to 61 points with the Mustangs hovering just below at 57.
 
The fourth quarter opened up as anyone's game. While Robertson led the Rams in three-pointers, Elizabeth Leblanc of the Purple and White put herself on the board to help maintain that proximity. Julia Curran cut the Rams' lead to 5 points with a beautiful layup but it didn't last long. With under three minutes on the clock, Ryerson scrambled to keep their hold and Western struggled to find their grip. While Bin-Edward put up two free-throws, Maddy Horst responded instantly with two points of her own. Tensions were high in the final two minutes as Ryerson pulled slowly ahead and finally, out of reach. With a final of 85-73, the Rams snapped the OUA's most prevalent win-streak of the season and added another win to their already-prevalent record.
 
The Western Mustangs will be returning to the court on Wednesday, January 15^th, at Brock University in St. Catherine's. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:00 P.M EST where the Mustangs will hopefully recover from their loss and re-establish a win-streak for the remainder of their season.