LONDON, Ont. – The men's basketball team will be advancing to the Wilson Cup Championship Final on Saturday, February 29^th after a jaw-dropping 104-103 overtime win over the Laurier Goldenhawks. After defeating Laurentian 88-82 the week previous, Western advanced to the Semi-Finals hosted on home court and will now wait to hear details for Saturday's final against the Carlton Ravens.
 
A joint effort from Julian Walker, Nikola Farkic, and Omar Shiddo set the Mustangs off on the right foot in tonight's Semi-Final matchup. Rebounding off of Jenkins, Tennant's dunk was the perfect recipe for crowd excitement. With the intensity matched between the court and the stands, Western and Laurier each embarked on a steady climb with Kemel Archer leading it for the Purple and Gold. With one last attempt from Western's Tyler Thompson, the Mustangs closed out the first quarter with a high-scoring 28-22 lead.
 
Walker was certainly earning his title as a 2020 2^nd Team OUA All-Star in this match alone. With back to back baskets and perfect aim every time, it would be no surprise to find him on the top scorers list at the evening's end. Ukasha Khan, like clockwork, would step in to execute an attractive dunk before stepping back out. With 45 points on the board and 4:30 in the half remaining, the Mustangs were setting themselves up to break 100 points before the end of the match. With the Goldenhawk's Ali Sow and Adnan Begovic hard at work, the half would end tied 47-all.
 
While the Mustangs returned to the court with an increase in intensity, Laurier showed up with an increase in aggression that resulted only in free-throw opportunities for the Purple and White. Laurier's Sow would keep the Goldenhawks not too far behind, but with Western's top-scorers on the court, they remained just out of reach. The third quarter would close with a Mustang lead of 74-72.
 
The fourth quarter proved to be the most defensive of them all. After several minutes, Walker broke Western free of its 78-78 tie, but Sow was quick to retaliate and put his team in the lead. With 5:36 left on the board, and Western leading only by one, it was anyone's game. Archer of the Purple and Gold would tie things up at 88 points, with Nahshon Hurst following-up with three points of his own. Twenty seconds on the clock and down by 2 points; the fans had nearly stormed the court. With one final free-throw from Sow, Farkic received the pass and sent it straight to Jenkins who, with 2.5 seconds on the clock, tied the match at 94-all.
 
"Omar fouled out, unfortunately, and he's our go-to scorer," Jenkins explained after the match. "During the free-throws, I went up to Nikola and said, 'give me the ball, I'll make it.' And thankfully, my defender jumped on the pump-fake and I was able to get space, hit the shot, and I am very thankful that it went in." When asked what it was like to have a huge crowd of supportive fans cheering the team on at every moment, Jenkins responded, "It means the world to us. We don't normally get crowds like that… I love this community, I love this school, and I'm very thankful for that."
 
Five minutes of overtime would leave room for lots of opportunity. While Aryan Sharma and Jenkins brought the 'Stangs to 98, Sow tied it up just as easily. Archer was the first to break 100, and with 35 seconds on the clock, the Mustangs were down by 2. With a concerning 15 seconds left, the Goldenhawks led 103-101, but with every member of the stands out of their seats and pushing against the rails, Nikola Farkic brought home the win for his team with a seamless 3-points a mere 1.2 seconds before the final buzzer.
 
"We ran a play to set things for Julian," Farkic explained, "but I locked eyes with EJ [Eriq Jenkins], and [Julian] wasn't open so he threw it to me… Right when it left my hands, I knew it was in. I felt it."
 
"That was epic," expanded Head Coach Brad Campbell. "Just when you thought we were dead, to get to overtime with a massive three… And then the shot-making back and forth, the level of offensive play from both teams was unbelievable… Wow. I'm speechless, it was amazing. Our guys just kept fighting and it was wild."
 
The Western Mustangs will be returning to the court on Saturday, February 29^th as they play for the Wilson Cup Championship Final against the Carlton Ravens. Stay tuned and connected on our social medias for updates about game day information.