TORONTO, ON - It was a close game throughout, as the Western Mustangs came up against the Toronto Varsity Blues for the first time this season with the Mustangs ultimately losing by nine. 


Both these teams entered the game off the back of a loss and were fighting hard to pick up the win tonight.


The Mustangs did a great job going straight up on defense, causing several blocks and missed shots. At the same time, the Varsity Blues placed intense pressure right back, making it difficult for Western to sink shots and pull ahead. 


While Western was able to go 8-2 in the opening half of the quarter, Toronto began closing out quickly on defense. Like the women's teams, who faced off earlier in the night, these two teams were incredibly evenly matched, going back and forth with the lead all night. 


Almost immediately, the Mustangs took possession of their defensive end, pushing the Varsity Blues out and forcing turnovers for fast-break opportunities. 


With one minute remaining in the quarter, Toronto was up by one point. Western was doing their best to create space and penetrate the U of T's defense to put up extra shots. 


Unfortunately, the Varsity Blues were able to sink more three-point shots than the Mustangs, which was a recurring theme throughout the night and ultimately had a significant impact on the outcome. 


As the first quarter came to a close, the score was 19-16 in favor of Toronto. 


The Mustangs held to their 2-3 zone to start the quarter, which appeared to be working for them, allowing them to maintain a strong defense through the remainder of the half. However, they continued to struggle putting up shots from beyond the arc. 


Throughout the quarter, Toronto was holding a single-digit lead. Although they continued to score, Western fought back hard, keeping the lead within arms reach.

Noah Otshudi had 10 points so far in the first half alone, heavily contributing to the Mustangs being able to steal back their first lead of the game, going up by five points with seven minutes remaining in the half. 

While UWO was struggling to sink their threes, this is where U of T was shining, having put up 7 of 19 attempts, compared to the Mustangs only successfully draining one.


Following a run from the Varsity Blues, the first half of the game ended with the scoreboard reading 41-37 in Toronto's favour.


Western continued with their zone defense, despite the strength coming from the Varsity Blues beyond the arc. Callum Baker was a point of power for this Toronto team and posed one of the biggest challenges for the Mustangs tonight.


The game began to slip away from Western, as they were being out-scored by 10 points with four minutes remaining. 

U of T was dominating in the top of the second half, consistently draining impressive shots, firing up the crowd, and leaving Western to appear as if they lacked the confidence to make the same attempts. 


With one minute remaining, the Mustangs had fallen behind by 17 points, having been out-scored 33-19 this quarter; the quarter ended 74-54 in favour of Toronto. 


Western was much more energized this quarter, powered by a successful three-point shot from Matteo Zagar at the start. The Mustangs were fighting hard to force an upset victory against Toronto. 


UWO still held a similar defensive tactic, but the Varsity Blues had adapted and were highly effective at pushing the Mustangs out of their way, allowing them to charge on through and put up more shots. 


Western was still trying to power through the game despite the 14-point deficit by pushing the Toronto rebounders out of the key and putting up more shots for second-chance points.


Toronto began looking to kill the clock as the game's final minutes approached, continuously moving the ball around to waste time while creating space for their open shots. 


With less than two minutes left, it was an 11-point lead for the Varsity Blues. The Mustangs began to slowly cut into their lead so that the margin had been slashed to nine points when there was only one minute remaining.

 

Unfortunately, the Mustangs could not make a comeback, and Friday night's game ended with them falling to Toronto, 92-83. 

 

Western will aim to win in their next matchup against Toronto Metropolitan University on Saturday, January 28th, at 6 pm. Fans can watch live at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto or OUA.tv.