Box Score

GUELPH, ON - The Mustangs lost their second game of the season on Wednesday night, falling to the Guelph Gryphons by 15 points in Western's last away game of the regular season.
 

It had been almost 800 days since these two teams last faced off against each other, and both teams opened the game strong. 

Guelph started the game with a seven-point unanswered scoring run and held the Mustangs off with a strong defense.

Western was fast to respond, quickly scoring their first four points of the game, bringing the score within two possessions.

The Mustangs were doing a great job of holding their player on defense. Still, they often relied on offensive rebounds to give them another chance to score instead of scoring off their first shot on a possession.

Western was doing a great job of creating contact and drawing fouls on the Gryphons, which gave them plenty of free-throw opportunities.

While they trailed closely behind for the first quarter, the Mustangs were able to slowly chip away at the Guelph lead, ending the first quarter only down by five points, 25-20.

Heading into the second quarter, the Mustangs maintained a solid man-on-man defense and were all over any open players

The Mustangs were holding Guelph to a very close lead, within five points for the majority of this quarter. They did a great job picking up the offensive rebound and scored twice as many second-chance points toward the end of the first half.  

Guelph's defensive pressure was intense, causing some trouble for the Mustangs when they tried to put up shots, making one of 12 three-point shots in the first 20 minutes of play. Guelph headed into the third quarter up 39-31. 

The Mustangs were on fire at the beginning of the third quarter, applying intense pressure and dominating both sides of the court, outscoring the Gryphons 7-2 in the first two minutes of the game.

Western was doing a great job defensively, holding up the shot clock as much as possible. However, the Gryphons managed to pull up by double-digits again while the Mustangs still searched for their first game lead. 

Western had many opportunities from the free-throw line this quarter but was having trouble capitalizing on them as they headed into the final quarter down 60-45. 

A few minutes into the final quarter, the Gryphons had managed to put the Mustangs down by 21 points. Western, however, was effective at running out the shot clock, leaving Guelph making some rushed shots.

A couple of good defensive possessions for the Mustangs brought their tempo back up. They maintained a tough defense; however, a few minor mistakes led to the Gryphons having more successful fast-break opportunities.

Western played well and kept fighting right to the end of the match but ended the game down 15 with a final score of 77-62. 

The Mustangs' top scorer of the night was Ashley Wheeler, totalling 19 points.


The Mustangs will play their next game on Saturday, March 12, against Guelph, at Alumni Hall at 1pm. Fans can purchase tickets at www.westernmustangs.ca.