LONDON, ON - As the Mustangs closed out their home opening weekend, Alumni, friends, and fans packed the stands in tribute to Western Basketball Alum, Maureen Spero in a memorial game on Saturday night.
Members of the Western community came out to Alumni Hall on Saturday, showing support not only for the Women's Basketball program but also in memory of beloved Mustangs Alumna Maureen "Moe" Spero.
Spero was remembered by former teammates, her sister, and children during a pre-game ceremonial tip-off and post-game ceremony.
"It means a lot to our team when we can have our alumni back on campus," said Mustangs' Head Coach Nate McKibbon.
"It means a lot to us when we see the types of emotions – positive, negative, sad, happy, that come when people that play together gather... you realize it's not just a four-year commitment; this is something that's basically a commitment for a lifetime," he continued.
It was also memorable for current Mustangs, as Avarie Thomas said, "It really gives us perspective, to cherish the moments that we have now with our teammates 'cause obviously they're going to be life-long friends for us."
A sentiment echoed by her teammate, Mustangs' Wing, Jordynn Bryan, saying, "it means a lot just knowing that we'll be there for each other no matter what, and it's bigger than basketball, this is our family."
As the game commenced, both teams were very physical, playing with high intensity right from the jump.
The Mustangs were doing well defensively, working hard on the transition to set up in front of Nipissing and allowing them to strip the ball away from the Lakers several times, making it difficult for them to put points up.
Western fought hard on defense from the start, and halfway through the first quarter, they had accumulated seven steals compared to Nipissing's zero.
Nipissing was getting frustrated, and they played very physically because of this. Western had put on a solid full-court press, aggravating the Lakers even more.
As the first quarter came to a close, Western was in the lead by 10 points, up 24-14.
The remainder of the first half was even stronger than the previous quarter, with the Mustangs improving on the rebound and continuing with their effective transition offense, allowing them to set up scoring plays and create space.
"Nipissing is a much-improved team. I think the coach is doing a great job in really developing them. You can see they've gotten better since last year... we knew it was going to be a challenging game," McKibbon said.
Despite improvements in the Lakers' game, the Mustangs remained in the lead at the end of the second quarter, up 40-22.
Nipissing started the second half with the ball, which was quickly stripped from them with a steal from the Mustangs.
The Lakers also opened up, appearing stronger in rebounding. At the same time, the Mustangs could quickly jump on the ball and fight the Nipissing rebounder for every possession.
"We just have to come prepared, stay connected and just hustle," said Bryan.
It remained an incredibly fast-paced game, with both teams holding close to their player and pressuring them up and down the court with each new play.
In the third quarter, the Mustangs more than doubled the number of points put on the board by Nipissing, allowing them to head into the final quarter with the lead at 58-27.
The Nipissing Lakers were working hard right to the end of the game despite trailing the entire time. Western made excellent defensive plays, shutting down almost all of Nipissing's shot attempts. With four minutes remaining in the game, Western had racked up an impressive 25 steals compared to Nipissing's six.
The Mustangs were fighting just as hard right to the final buzzer, pulling down most of their own rebounds to put back up.
Western advances their so-far perfect record on the season to 6-0, with their 36-point win over Nipissing at 77-51.
To catch the Mustang's next game, fans can tune in to OUA.tv on Friday, November 25 at 6 pm to see them take on the Ottawa Gee-Gee's in their fifth away game of the season.
