LONDON, ON
At Alumni Hall, the Mustangs home-opener was against the McMaster Marauders.
The first quarter saw the Mustangs shoot the lights out, going 9-17 from the field and 5-8 from 3PT range. Seven Mustangs got on the score sheet after the first quarter, leading 24-23.
Western continued to run the floor well in the 2nd quarter, building a lead as high as 10 points. Milan John led the way for the Mustangs, finishing the half with 10 points and 4 rebounds. McMaster continued to fight back, going into the half, they led by 1-point, 44-43.
Matteo Zagar got going in the third quarter with a couple of layups around the rim and a putback dunk. Western outscored the Marauders by 6 to regain a 5-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Mustangs kept their foot on the pedal in the fourth quarter, hustling on the offensive end of the court and grabbing 8 defensive rebounds. Zagar, John and Mikyle Malabuyoc fought their way for the Mustangs, taking the home opener 88-77.
"Its always good to win at home and protect home court. We've had struggles closing out games, so it was good we could do that tonight", said John. He finished the night with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
Head Coach Brad Campbell was proud of the win but emphasized the defensive end of the court as an improvement for the team moving forward. "We have to get better on the defensive end of the floor and [improve] our defensive rebounding. When we get those two things going we're pretty tough to deal with in transition. The defense is going to lead to more offense", said Campbell.
Saturday, November 9th, the Mustangs take on the Lakehead Thunderwolves at 8PM EST. Tune in live on OUA.tv.
KEY STATS
F | Matteo Zagar - 20 PTS (9-11 FG), 10 REBS, 4 ASTS
F | Lucas Sheets - 15 PTS (6-12 FG), 10 REBS, 3 ASTS, 2 BLKS
G | Mikyle Malabuyoc - 14 PTS (6-12 FG, 2-3 3PT), 4 ASTS, 2 REBS
G | Milan John - 13 (2-6 3PT) PTS, 5 REBS, 3 ASTS
