Box Score GUELPH, ON - The Western Mustangs continued on the road on Saturday afternoon, facing the Guelph Gryphons, walking away with the win at 93-79.
The Gryphons opened up the match, pulling up 9-2 against the Mustangs after winning possession on the opening tip.Â
It was Guelph's Senior Night, as Western fought hard to pick up the win to grab the top-seeded position heading into playoffs.Â
Western was having some trouble sinking shots in the first few minutes of the quarter, and their opponent was capitalizing off these misses, gaining possession and charging back down the court to go up 15-02.
Following this, the Mustangs began to build some momentum, closing their deficit to 15-10 after an 8-0 run.Â
Western quickly charged back and held control despite the home side beginning with a solid lead, collecting their first lead of the afternoon up 20-17 with a corner-three from Imran Armstrong.
The Mustangs ended the first quarter in the lead after trailing to start the quarter at 28-17.
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Both sides had a much stronger start to the quarter, with Western opening up to extend their lead to 15 early.
The Gryphons weren't going down without a fight; however, they quickly managed to narrow the gap back down to nine points in the first half's final minutes.
Both teams have been successful on the transition, running up and down the court relentlessly and creating powerful scoring opportunities.Â
The Mustangs managed to stave off the Gryphons once more, heading into halftime, holding the lead at 53-44.Â
Matteo Zagar led the Mustangs in scoring off the bench in the first half with 12 points.
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Western started the second half strong, with excellent ball movement and quick defensive switches, as they scored the opening baskets of the half, extending the gap up to 15.Â
The Mustangs remained powerful in the transition, constantly beating the Gryphons down the court to score.Â
Guelph did an excellent job of moving the ball to create space and maintain their energy against Western, despite trailing since the first, as the visiting team continued building on their lead. Â
With the third about to close out, the Mustangs continued solidifying their lead, closing the quarter by 17, at 79-62.
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Western continued to perform dominantly over the Gryphons in the final quarter, storming down the court on the transition to extend their lead up to 22 with only five minutes remaining in the game.Â
While they had a bit of a slower start to the night, the Mustangs gained speed and momentum following the first few minutes of play, holding on to the lead they picked up in the opening quarter until the end.
The Gryphons refused to back off, driving hard to the basket and making smart plays to narrow their deficit.
Ultimately, Western walked away with the victory to end the night up 93-79.
Key Stats:
Points - Matteo
Zagar (20)
Rebounds - Matteo
Zagar (6)
Assists - Tyson
Dunn (4)
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The Mustangs will face the Waterloo Warriors in their second-last game of the regular season, at 8 pm in Waterloo. Fans can tune in live at OUA.tv to support Western!
