NORTH BAY, ON - Western hit the road for their first game out of London since the winter break, ultimately securing the victory against the Nipissing Lakers at 100-74 on Friday night.
It was a slow start for the Mustangs, as the Lakers came out swinging, opening with a 10-04 run that set the tone for the entire first half.Â
Despite having to chase the lead from the start, Western fought back hard, utilizing their skill in defensive rebounding to help limit the success of second-chance shots from Nipissing.Â
To end the first quarter, the Mustangs were unsuccessful in taking the lead as they trailed throughout the quarter, to end at 22-18.
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While it remained close at the end of the previous quarter, the Lakers started the second quarter with an 11-0 run, frustrating the Mustangs further.
Nipissing held their largest lead of the game so far up at 15 points, which the Mustangs were quickly able to slash back down to single-digits.Â
Rebounding was proving to be a weak point for Western in this first half, with the Lakers having twice as much success, allowing them to have more scoring attempts.Â
Toward the midway part of this quarter was when the Mustangs' turned it around - cutting the Lakers' lead down to two possessions, after out-scoring the home team 19-16 in this quarter.Â
The final score leading into halftime was 38-37 as Western brought the game down to a single point deficit.
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Western gained their first lead of the night following an explosive three-point shot from Aryan Sharma, to start the second half.Â
Following a slow start to the match, Western turned it around in the third quarter, opening with a 7-0 run to give themselves a lead they held for the majority of the rest of the night.Â
The Lakers were not making this an easy run for Western, however, as they continued to put up an aggressive fight holding the match within a few possessions.Â
When the third quarter came to an end, the Mustangs built their lead up further, resulting in a 68-61 point lead for Western.Â
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It was the fourth quarter when the Mustangs really extended their lead up significantly, consistently building up their lead throughout.Â
Western scored twice as many points as the Lakers this quarter, and ultimately were only outscored in the first.Â
Hitting the century mark in the final minute of play, the Mustangs hustled hard and earned themselves the victory in the second half at 100-74.Â
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The Mustangs will continue on the road tomorrow, Saturday, January 20th at 3pm, facing the Laurentian Voyageurs in Sudbury. Fans can tune in live at OUA.tv to cheer on the Mustangs.Â
