London, ON – The intensity was immense at Alumni Hall on Saturday afternoon as the Mustangs came back in a big way to win 71-64 over the Windsor Lancers on Seniors Day.
"We knew there was a lot riding on this game going into it tonight, a lot of emotion and I think that's what carried us through it," said Mustangs Guard Maddy Horst "Regardless of what the score was we just kept fighting and I think that mentality is what got us that win at the end."
The game went back and forth throughout the first half of the game.
Horst led the Mustangs in the 1
st quarter with 6 points but both sides were tied at 17 through 10 minutes.
The 2nd quarter was much of the same with the Lancers getting a late three-pointer from Eve Uqayesu to take a 37-34 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter the Mustangs struggled to keep up with the Lancers and found themselves trailing by a dozen points at 55-43 going into the final frame.
Western knew they needed a full force effort in the fourth quarter and Horst stepped up in a big way.
Emma Johnson drained back to back three-pointers to cut the Lancers lead to 4 points and then 1.
The Mustangs kept the energy flowing late in the quarter, after Becky Leblanc made a pair of free-throws, Horst picked the ball off and went the length of the court to push the Mustangs lead to six points with 45.7 seconds left on the clock.
"There is a belief within this group that I have no responsibility for and I think it comes from the fact that we have a group of 16 outstanding young women that support each other and believe in each other," said Mustangs Head Coach Nate McKibbon "Even though it seemed like the game was out of reach a little bit at times, they just continued to play like they believed in each other and wanted it a little bit more."
The Lancers knew they were in tough and made a drive for a late push, but it was too late as the Mustangs held on to take their 19
th win of the season which gives them 38 points and the #1 ranking in the OUA to close out the season.
Horst led the Mustangs offence with 27 points and 4 steals on the night.
"I felt like fifth year mentality is a real thing and you hear people talk about it but you never actually know what that means until you're in that position "said Horst "You come to realize that from now on every game could very well be your last one and you need to play like that and I feel like that's exactly what I did here tonight."
After the conclusion of the game, the Mustangs coaching staff recognized their three graduating players Leblanc, Julia Curran and Horst. The players were all presented with a framed jersey including an action photo and plaque.
"We had three seniors who all surpassed 1000 points in their careers and have done incredible things throughout the time in basketball and I wanted to show respect to what they have accomplished, what they've sacrificed and what they've invested into this program" said McKibbon of the decision on what to give to his players.
The Mustangs now shift their focus to the post-season. They have earned a bye through the first round of playoffs and will await their opponent in the quarterfinals which is set for Saturday, February 22
nd and the Mustangs will host that game at Alumni Hall. Details of the game will be posted on westernmustangs.ca in the coming days.
