London, ON – The Mustangs welcomed York to Alumni Hall on Saturday night, where they took home a 76-70 win.
This one remained close from the start, as Western found themselves narrowly up at the half 33-31. 20 and 23 point quarters would be enough for the purple and white to secure the win 76-70, breaking a two-game losing streak in the process.
"I think they just needed to see the ball go through the hoop and feel what it's like to win a game again," said head coach Nate McKibbon. "I think sometimes winning's a skill just like being able to shoot layups, just like being able to dribble. I know this team knows how to win, so it's nice for them to get some proof that the hard work they're doing is worth it."
Ariane Saumure led Western with 29 points, while Brett Fischer had 15 of her own and 11 rebounds. Sarah Harvey and Emily Capretta also registered 11 rebounds in the win, alongside 12 and 9 points respectively.
"It feels really good," said Saumure on the win. "We really needed that for our confidence. Especially to get a win at home before we are back on the road. It's good to polish up some things and work on some things we need to improve upon."
"We definitely needed the win under our belt today. Wednesday was a tough loss, we really wanted to beat McMaster," added Brett Fischer. "Practice went well this week, we understood what we were doing. Everything we did in practice we executed on the floor so I'm really happy with this."
Sarah Harvey got the first two points on the board for Western to start, as defense came up big to hold the visitors pointless almost 2 minutes in.
Ariane Saumure hit a three moments later for a 5-1 score. Consecutive layups from Saumure and Brett Fischer put Western up by eight at 9-1, which was enough for York to call their first timeout.
The purple and white held the visitors to 9 more points, as they concluded the opening quarter up 18-10, with 12 points coming from Saumure.
The second quarter proved to be different for the 'Stangs, as York scored 21 points compared to Western's 15.
The Lions came out pushing in the second quarter, as they quickly cut their deficit to four at 25-21.
With four minutes remaining in the half, a foul sent York to the free throw line as they came within two. They tied it up at 25 moments later, before taking the lead on a layup to force a Western timeout.
In a desperate effort to keep the ball in, Saumure managed to save the possession and eventually finished it off with a three on an assist from Samantha Cowan to reclaim the lead at 29-27 as this one remained close.
The 'Stangs held on to go into the half up 33-31.
"Ball movement was really good," said Fischer on her team's play. "I feel like everyone on almost every play touched the ball. I also really liked our defence. We switched between man and zone so it tricked them up a bit."
The visitors in red took the lead early to start the third quarter, before Emily Capretta hit a three-point shot-clock beater to reclaim the lead for Western.
The two sides continued to go back and forth, with neither side being able to find a significant lead.
York kept pushing and eventually found a six-point lead midway through the quarter at 43-49. Free throws from Saumure helped close the gap, while a three-pointer from Harvey cut the deficit to one at 54-53 to round out the quarter.
Points from Saumure, Fischer, Harvey, Capretta and Samantha Vidovic got the ball rolling in the fourth for the purple and white, as they found a nine-point lead 3 minutes in at 67-58.
In familiar fashion, the Lions came roaring back as the purple and white held the lead with a minute remaining at 73-70. With under fifteen seconds remaining, two made free throws from Fischer provided a bit of a cushion for the 'Stangs as they looked to hold on.
Fischer was sent to the line again moments after, making one of her two shots. Western held on to win 76-70.
With the win, Western improves to 10-8 on the season, while York drops to 8-9.
"It felt nice to get back to our man-to-man principles," said Saumure on her team's play. "It's been a few games since we went away from doing that sort of defence. We had a bit more legs today."
"They shared the ball better than we have [recently]," said McKibbon on his team's win. "I thought we got off to a great start, and I thought we defended for a full forty so I'm really happy with that."
The Mustangs face a quick turnaround for an early afternoon match on Wednesday against Waterloo.
"Early morning games are tough but it's tough for both teams," said Saumure on the upcoming game. "We just have to come out and give it all we got."
The Mustangs are next in action on Wednesday, February 8
th as they travel to Waterloo to take on the Warriors for an 11am tilt. The action will be available to watch on OUA.tv
