Box Score TORONTO, ON - The Western Mustangs Women's Basketball Team hit the road in the first of their stretch of four road games to end 2023. They started tonight in Toronto against the York University Lions, emerging victorious with a 80-67 victory.
Western made some smart plays, creating space and drawing fouls off their defenders when possible. The Lions scored the opening points of the night with a three-point shot from deep, which then kicked the Mustangs into high gear, and they responded with a 7-0 run powered by 5 points from Emily Capretta.
Not only did Western start the game strong offensively, they were also playing cohesively on defense too, as demonstrated by Sam Cowan as she consistently blocked York's passing lanes and disrupted their game flow.
While the Mustangs pulled ahead with the lead in the first quarter, the Lions weren't ever far behind, and they bridged the gap and with only seconds remaining in the opening period; The scoreboard read 20-16 in favor of the Mustangs.
York had a dominant second quarter, both offensively and putting up a strong defense. While Western opened the quarter strong, the Lions went on a 10-0 run midway through the quarter and overtook the Mustangs lead.
The Lions, now with their first lead since their opening possession, remained a challenge for Western, extending their lead to 39-28 as the first half of the match concluded.
The home team were dominant on defense this quarter, holding the Mustangs to a single-digit score increase since the opening 10, while they improved upon their previous quarter, putting up 22 points against Western.
As the third quarter began, it was clear the Mustangs took the previous ten minutes personally. They came out fighting in the opening minutes of the second half and went on a 9-0 run, further exhibiting their strength in their offensive end.
While the Mustangs only narrowly out-scored their opponents in this quarter, it was evident they were not done fighting as they shrunk the Lions' lead down to only six points, at 52-46 to end the third quarter.
The Lions were still, narrowly, in the lead throughout the beginning of the fourth, but Western continued to play well as a unit, utilizing all the energy and fight they had remaining, slashing the York lead down the four points with seven minutes still remaining.
At the midpoint of the quarter Western had fought hard to regain the lead for the first time since the second quarter, led by MacKeely Shantz who was firing on all cylinders to help her team to victory, shooting at just shy of 70% from the field at this late stage.
Not only did the Mustangs demonstrate incredible offensive agility in the fourth quarter, but they also displayed strong defensive skill, holding York back to only 15 points throughout the final 10 minutes of play, after keeping them to 14 points in the previous quarter.
With the final buzzer sounding, Western emerged with the victory, breaking a two-game loss streak from this past weekend, and leaving the York Lions still without a win in the season, with a final score of 80-67.
The team's next game will be tomorrow night, Saturday November 18 against the McMaster Marauders in Hamilton at 6 p.m. Fans can tune in to OUA.tv to watch live and support the Western Mustangs.
