OTTAWA, ON - In their second game in Ottawa this weekend, the Western Mustangs lost to the Carleton Ravens by 10 points, and will return to London with a 6-2 record on the season.  

Coming off the back of their first loss of the season, the Mustangs played their second weekend game in Ottawa, this time against the Ravens, who had also only lost one game this season. 


Carleton opened the night strong on defense and were shutting down the Mustangs in the paint. 

Western also began the game pretty strong. On the transition, the Mustangs were efficient at getting down to set up defensively and placed tight pressure on Carleton the entire length of the court.

The Ravens were shooting very efficiently from beyond the arc throughout the night, beginning with three successful 3-point shots in the game's opening minutes, which helped give them their 12-0 unanswered run to open the match. 

The Mustangs used this to fuel their intensity and immediately fought harder on all ends of the court, pulling down rebounds and making quick drives to the basket on offense.

As the first quarter came to a close, the Mustangs had not been able to catch up to the Ravens, and as the game headed into the second quarter, Western was trailing 21-15. 

When the second quarter began, the Mustangs were still being pressed hard by the Ravens, who were communicating very well with each other, switching seamlessly to the open player and putting up several shots from within the key. 

Western was powerful on the transition, however, and was quick to set up solid defensive pressure the entire length of the court. 

The Mustangs were taking advantage of their success beyond the arc and took more shots from further out, which helped them close the gap a bit and ultimately out-score the Ravens in the second quarter, bringing the score within four points and ending quarter down 35-31. 

There was strong defense on the shooter from each player, with the entire Mustangs' squad crowding the ball when required and pressing hard on defense, allowing them to collect all three steals in the game so far. 

As the third quarter began, Western was trying to hold onto the momentum that allowed them to pull back into the game toward the end of the first half. 

There appeared to be some frustrations on the court, as shots frequently failed to fall correctly for the Mustangs, as the Ravens picked up the defensive rebounds and would return a score down their end. 

Both teams played very intensely, but the play remained clean, and the total fouls for both teams in the quarter held pretty low throughout. 

Western was putting up a fight down low in the key, doing a great job of putting up shots in the paint and pulling down offensive rebounds. The score was also much closer throughout this quarter, remaining within single digits almost the entire time. 

The Mustangs set up solid screens up high and effectively moved the ball around and communicated with each other, creating as many opportunities as possible. 

The Ravens' lead had been cut down to five points with two minutes remaining, but as the third quarter came to a close, the Mustangs were down by 10, with the scoreboard reading 47-37 in favor of Carleton. 

When the final 10 minutes of play were underway, both teams came out of the break more intense than ever before. 

Western was playing incredibly ferociously, setting up strong plays offensively and defensively. 

The Ravens and Mustangs were getting in each other's space and getting their hands on the ball at every opportunity, causing numerous turnovers.

Western was having some trouble capitalizing off of the Ravens' turnovers, however, as they struggled to put many points up on the board this way. 

Carleton was strong throughout the night at forcing the Mustangs out of the key, swarming them constantly, especially down low on the rebound. 

As the game was winding down, Western had been doing a better job of closing out on the Ravens, but Carleton was skilled at continuing to move the ball around and create space for the open shot. 

When the match came to a close, the Mustangs had fallen to a 10-point deficit, ending the game with a score of 63-53 for the Ravens. 

The Mustangs' next match will be against the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Friday, December 02, at 6 pm at Alumni Hall. Tickets are available for purchase at WesternMustangs.ca/tickets.