WATERLOO, ON - The Mustangs extend their win streak this season after topping Waterloo for the second night in a row after a very intense back-and-forth in the scoring, once again.
After a successful matchup against the Waterloo Warriors on Friday night, the Western Mustangs were looking forward to facing them once again tonight for what promised to be a very evenly matched game with two incredibly talented teams.
The Mustangs opened up the first quarter losing the opening possession; however, they immediately turned around and implemented a successful defensive strategy right from the get-go. The intense pressure placed on Waterloo by Western's defense caused the Warriors to make plenty of rushed shots, allowing Sarah Harvey to open the scoring for the game almost 5 minutes in.
After this, the first quarter remained a close race. Both teams utilized incredible defense and translated that into an effective offense throughout the game.
Opening the second quarter with a score of 08-10 for the Warriors shows just how hard both teams had been working on both ends of the court so far. The Mustangs' on-court communication was incredible, which led to some fast-paced ball movement, and impressive scoring plays. Even when missing a shot attempt, they were relentless in fighting for the rebound or getting back down the court to set up the defense before Waterloo could run away with it. Two consecutive three-pointers from Jess Morris and Ariane Saumure brought the Mustangs into the lead only with 7 minutes until halftime, making the score 14-12. The game remained extremely close at this time, with the largest margin of the quarter being 8 points before the quarter ended, and the scoreboard read 24-20, with Western in the lead.
Waterloo quickly scored 5 points consecutively in the 3rd, briefly putting themselves in the lead by 1. However, it was not long before Madalyn Picton scored with a layup for the Mustangs, propelling them to a lead they held for most of the third quarter. Western fought hard, both offensively and defensively, to maintain the close scores all quarter. This resulted in a very close game that had them heading into the final 10 minutes of play down by 2, the score reading 34-36 for the Warriors.
The Warriors held a great defense at the beginning of the fourth quarter, making it difficult at times for the Mustangs to make some of the same scoring plays we'd seen earlier in the game. Waterloo implemented a half-court press, which allowed the fast-paced Mustangs to make a few rushes for the basket, resulting in many quick fouls being drawn. This meant that Western was able to have several free-throw opportunities, and in such a close game where every point matters, this game was coming down to the wire. While the high energy was there for both teams right until the end, the Mustangs were able to pull through again and cement their victory over this Waterloo team twice in one weekend, with a final score of 55-49.
The Mustangs will now be heading to Thunder Bay for Friday's game against Lakehead University at 8 pm. Fans can watch live at OUA.tv.
