LONDON, ON - The Western Mustangs faced off against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks in the 2023/24 Senior Night game. The Mustangs collected their 10th win of the season with the 78-51 win over the Ridgebacks.
It was a really strong start to the game, with both sides maintaining a strong offensive presence.
The Ridgebacks were pressuring the Mustangs with a tightly-held one-one-one defense, but Western was having great success from deep in the field, having only missed three field goals, with a 100% success rate from three-point range with two minutes remaining in the quarter.Â
As the first quarter came to an end, the Mustangs had maintained the lead, up by nine points 26-17.
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Both sides remained strong defensively throughout the opening minutes of the second, with the first scores of the quarter not coming until two minutes in.Â
While they outscored their opponent by almost ten points in the previous quarter, the first half of the second was much closer in terms of shots made, with the differential constantly held within one basket.Â
"Something we've been really focusing on is playing together and sharing the ball around... I think we've really been getting better, and it's something we continue to work on," said Mustangs' Senior, Ashley Truesdale.Â
Western was strong on the rebound, pulling down almost twice as many as the Ridgebacks by halftime.
With the first half under the belt, the Mustangs held the lead up at 49-26.
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In the first minute of play, the Mustangs were half-way to 100 points, as they continued fighting hard against Ontario Tech.
Western extended their lead up to 22 points (55-33), in the final minutes of the quarter, as three Mustangs reached double digits in points scored.Â
"Communicating well on offense and defense and just being able to create plays," said Mustang Jordynn Bryan on improvements the team has been making throughout the season.Â
Although they maintained the lead heading into the final quarter of play, they were overpowered offensively by the Ridgebacks, who out-scored the Mustangs 14-10 in the third.
The score at the end of the third quarter was 59-40.
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Western remained incredibly intense on both ends of the court throughout the final quarter, opening with a 9-0 run to extend their lead up to 26 points in the first minute out of the break.Â
The Ridgebacks didn't back off or make it easy for the Mustangs to further their lead, remaining a constant source of pressure defensively despite trailing since the first quarter.Â
As the Senior Night game came to a close, the Mustangs emerged with the victory, at 78-51.Â
The graduating Mustangs are Avarie Thomas, Sam Cowan, Micah Tamminga, Ashley Truesdale, and Jordynn Bryan.Â
"It's been four great years - it kind of started off rough with COVID... it's sad ot go, but I will look back on these past four years with a lot of fond memories, a lot of great connections with my teammates," said Truesdale. "And we love our coaches."
"I am really grateful for the experience, the last four years has been really wonderful, being able to play with amazing girls and being able to be together," said Bryan, "It's more than just basketball, it's a family."
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The Mustangs will be back at Alumni Hall for their final home game of the regular season, against Guelph. Tip-off is at 6 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.
