Box Score HAMILTON, ON - The Mustangs avenged their mid week loss to rival McMaster on Saturday, defeating the Marauders on their home floor, 69-59.
Western opened the afternoon's game with high intensity, coming off their first loss of the regular season against McMaster on Wednesday.
The Mustangs were utilising a strong full court press, making it very difficult for Mac on both ends of the court, allowing Western to hold the lead for the entire first quarter.
Madalyn Picton, who was averaging an impressive 14 points per game, opened the scoring for the Mustangs. This Western full court press was exceptionally well implemented, resulting in Mac having some difficulty scoring.
Western appeared to be much more successful on the offensive rebounding after Wednesday night's game, scoring 15 second-chance points compared to McMaster's 9. In the second quarter alone, the Mustangs had multiple times successfully converted a 3-point play from an offensive rebound.
While Western had some bad luck with their shots in the middle of the game, it was those points off their own rebounds that kept them competitive. Then, like a switch flipped, the Mustangs hit 3 straight three-pointers in the third quarter, giving them a 5 point lead, their first since the first half of the game.
2 minutes into the final quarter, the Mustangs were able to push their lead up to 13 points. Avarie Thomas drained three 3-pointers in this final quarter, significantly contributing to the teams' steady lead.
Western was very aggressive on both ends of the court, not giving the Marauders any opportunity to catch up, and the Mustangs finished the game up 69-59.
The Mustangs will play their next game this Wednesday, February 16 against Windsor, in Windsor at 6pm. Fans can watch live at OUA.tv.
