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Western Mustangs Sports

Mustang Emily Capretta dribbling ball down the court guarded by a Varsity Blues player
Amanda Lang
61
Toronto TORONTO 2-10, 2-10
65
Winner Western WESTERN 6-6, 6-6
Toronto TORONTO
2-10, 2-10
61
Final
65
Western WESTERN
6-6, 6-6
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Toronto TORONTO 23 19 6 13 61
Western WESTERN 13 19 16 17 65

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Bella McLellan

Down To The Wire As The Mustangs Collected A Win Against Toronto, 65-61

LONDON, ON - The Western Mustangs engaged in a tense battle against the Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday night, emerging victorious up 65-61 as the game came down to the final plays.

Western faced off against the Varsity Blues for the first and only time this regular season off the heels of last weekend's win against Waterloo. 

The Mustangs gained their first lead of the game following a deep three from Sam Cowan, as they went up by one, at 5-4. 

Strong competition persisted as both teams fought hard defensively in the paint, the Mustangs notably causing several turnovers against their opponent after holding a full-court press off the inbound. 

"When we play well offensively, we're tough to beat, we haven't shown the ability, really, up until now to be consistently ready" said Mustangs' Head Coach, Nate McKibbon. "I'm proud of the fact we continued to fight."

The second quarter began with the Mustangs chasing the 10-point lead the Varsity Blues gained to end the first, down 23-13. 
 

After opening the quarter putting up seven unanswered points, Western had slashed Toronto's lead to just three points in the opening two minutes. 

The Mustangs emerged on top defensively in this quarter, and while the Varsity Blues scored well under pressure, the Mustangs continued to swarm the ball carrier and remain unrelenting in their one-on-on pressure. 

"[The focus is] definitely continuing with our communication on the court, and also with pushing the ball so we get to play our game a bit more," said Western Forward, Morgan Tamminga. "We definitely pulled together as a team, and we're talking a lot more." 

Tamminga contributed an impressive 10 rebounds to the Mustangs' total tonight, leading the team in this category. 

Avarie Thomas was a force in this defensive effort, collecting three steals in the first half as Western closed out the first half of play down by 10 once more, at 42-32, with both teams scoring 19 points in the previous quarter. 
 

The Varsity Blues seemed to pick up on the Mustangs strengths after the first half, as they started pressuring the ball handler much more than before, as their emphasis switched to double-teaming Western at every opportunity. 

Paris Alexander had scored all but two of Western's points in the first half of this quarter, being instrumental in the home-side's ability to close the margin to only four points with as many minutes remaining in the quarter. 

It was an electric final minutes of the quarter as both sides were using all their energy to close this period in the lead. The Mustangs offensive strength shone through in this quarter, as they outscored their opponent almost three-fold, forcing the game to a tie at 48-points each.

"We had a good talk at the end of the second half and everyone agreed that we know we can play a much better game in the second half - and that it was going to come from defence," said Mustang MacKeely Shantz.

Shantz was named last week's OUA and USports Player of the Week following her 59 point, 15 rebound performance last weekend. "It's a huge honour obviously, its super cool to win that - I owe it all to my team, honestly, they have my heart and they make me enjoy coming to practice every day and that's what makes me want to perform on the court," she said. 

"She's the first one to give all the credit to her teammates, it's a testament to what kind of person she is," said McKibbon on Shantz's recognition. "She's had a great season, I'm proud of her, I'm proud of our team."
 

Western pulled ahead to the lead with the first possession thanks to a scoring play from Emily Capretta. 

The final quarter was insanely intense throughout, with both teams continuing to give absolutely every last ounce of energy they had left to pull together the win. 

The Mustangs continued to employ their successful full-court press to remain tight on the Varsity Blues right off their inbound.

While incredible close throughout, having the score remain within a handful of points in the final minutes, ultimately the Mustangs pulled ahead with the victory, walking away with a four-point win at 65-61. 
 

The Mustangs will play Toronto Metropolitan tomorrow night, Saturday January 13, at 6 p.m. at Alumni Hall. Fans can purchase tickets at WesternMustangs.ca/Tickets, and Western students gain free entry with their ONECards. The game will also be available on OUA.tv. 
 
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