WATERLOO, ON - Despite holding the lead at the end of the first half, the Mustangs fell to the Waterloo Warriors, 64-58 in their second-last road game of the 2022/23 regular season.
As the Mustangs approach their final games of the regular season, still fighting hard toward the playoffs they faced off against the Waterloo Warriors in a mid-morning away game with a crowd packed full of elementary school children cheering on their opposition.
In the opening 2:30 minutes of the game, the Mustangs scored 5 unanswered points in response to the Warriors scoring the opening basket of the game.
The Mustangs were doing well to move the ball around to create and find space for the open man to put up a clear shot, while the Warriors were sticking to a tight half-court press to push the Mustangs out wide.
As the first quarter came to an end, Western was in the lead by one point, up 18-17.
Waterloo scored the opening basket of the quarter, much like the previous on their first possession of the quarter.
The Mustangs came back fighting after this, and turned around to pull back ahead to a 24-20 lead as the Warriors called a timeout.
Both teams were competing aggressively for possession, and went to the ground at times to fight for the ball.
Over the remaining five minutes of the quarter, the Mustangs out-scored the Warriors 11-04, allowing them to claim the lead at the end of the first half up 35-27.
Despite strong play throughout the first half, and dominating the second quarter on the scoreboard, the second half was a completely different story for this Mustangs team.
The opening three minutes of the quarter saw Western's double-digit lead be slashed in half, while the Warriors continued to press the Mustangs, forcing them back into the outside lanes on the transition.
This Waterloo team appeared much more energized and in control in this quarter than in the previous two. The Warriors went full-force into a full-court press, which caused the Mustangs to waste precious time on the shot clock trying to get over into the front court.
Despite holding Waterloo to single-digits in the second quarter, the third quarter saw Western instead struggling to grasp a hold of the lead.
The Mustangs were giving up too many offensive rebounds throughout this quarter, which contributed to the Warriors being able to leap ahead to out-score Western 50-45 to end the third quarter.
The second half was almost entirely determined by turnovers, and the Warriors ability to capitalize off of Western's turnovers - the home team having scored 21 points off turnovers compared to the visitors at 0 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Despite the strong start from both teams in the Wednesday morning game, the second half almost felt like a different match, with Waterloo using every ounce of energy to continue their successful full-court defense against the Mustangs.
Western had managed to fight back to a one-point game in the final minutes of play, and they turned it around with their rebounding - overtaking the Warriors at one point in this aspect.
Despite their best efforts, the Mustangs were not able to defeat the Warriors, and they fell 64-58, dropping to a 10-09 record on the season.
The Mustangs will return to Alumni Hall for their next matchup, against the Brock Badgers on Saturday Feb 11, at 6pm. Fans can purchase tickets as WesternMustangs.ca/Tickets.
