LONDON, ON - Spectators packed Alumni Hall in this Friday night matchup between the Queens Gaels, and the Western Mustangs.
Right from the jump, it was an insanely physical game. Both these teams are nationally-ranked, appearing in the USports Top 10 ranking this past week.
Despite beginning neck-and-neck, the Gaels soon went on a 12-0 scoring run leading the Mustangs at 14-4 with six minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Western was performing well throughout, maintaining a high-level of aggression against the Gaels, who were consistently fast down the court, doing their best to cut off the scoring drive on the transition.
Several powerful scoring plays from the Mustangs brought them back within four points to end the quarter down 20-16.
The opening minutes of the second quarter were back-and-forth with the Mustangs holding the Gaels to the four-point differential throughout much of it.
"All week we were working on our rebounding, preparing for all that physicality, just because we knew that head-to-head, they were just bigger and stronger than us," said Mustang Jerric Palma. "We just have to keep the momentum up, the energy up the crowd was there for us, the bench was there for us."
The Gaels have managed to extend their lead up to seven points with just under half of the quarter remaining as Western continued to play catch-up following the deficit in the first quarter.
Despite a widening gap at times, Western remained vigilant against the Gaels, forcing rushed shots and causing frustrated fouls to be drawn against the visiting side.
The largest lead of the night entering the third quarter was the Gael's 10-point lead back in the first, as the Mustangs have held them within a couple of possessions ever since.
Western are doing a great job of swarming their opponents in the paint, forcing rushed plays and helping keep the lead within reach.
"Tonight we faced an older, more physical team and we really got killed rebounding the ball tonight - massive deficit there," said Head Coach, Brad Campbell, "that's what the number 3 team in the country looks like and we just didn't match that physicality tonight."
Coach Campbell recently hit his 300-win mark, "It's definitely nice and its a milestone, but i definitely don't coach for getting those milestones or wins," he said on the achievement, "If those win totals help us get to [National Championships], then I'm happy."
The Mustangs have been consistently racing down the court, out-sprinting the Gaels on the transition to put them in a better position offensively, further bridging the gap.
The final score was 68-60 as the fourth quarter began in favor of the Gaels.
Western remained holding close defensively, getting right in their player's faces and disrupting plays.
Although they have been trailing throughout, the Mustangs continued to exhibit the high level of play they showed throughout the season.
Almost the entire night was played within ten points, as both of these highly-skilled teams left it all out on the court, with the final score ultimately reading 92-80 in favor of the Gaels.
The Mustangs will be back at Alumni Hall for tomorrow night's Senior Night game against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks. Tip-off is at 8 p.m, fans can purchase tickets at WesternMustangs.ca/tickets or tune in to watch live at OUA.tv.
Western students enter for free with their OneCards.
