Box Score WATERLOO, ON - It was a close game on Wednesday night, as the Western Mustangs faced off against the Waterloo Warriors in the second last game of the regular season. Ultimately, they fell 52-45.
The Mustangs opened scoring on the night with a three point shot from Avarie Thomas, the only score from either side in the first three minutes of play.
Both sides are playing very strong defensively, completing powerful blocks and pulling down each other's offensive rebounds.
Western's strong offensive start continued, as they furthered their lead up to 8-0 approaching the midway mark of the first.
The Warriors scored their first field goal of the game just after the five minute mark, as the Mustangs continued to pressure them on both ends of the court.
Despite scoring the opening eight points, the Mustangs went scoreless over the next few minutes as the Warriors responded with a 9-0 run, taking their first lead of the night at 9-8 over Western.
A back-and-forth ensued, with the lead changing twice more before the end of the quarter wrapped up with the Warriors holding the lead at 15-11.
It was a similar start to the second quarter, with both sides fighting hard through the other's evenly-matched defense and a slow start to the scores being added to the board.
Waterloo scored the first six points of the quarter, prompting the Mustangs to call a timeout to break their flow.
Western was really successful beyond the arc in the first half, scoring all but four of their points from three-point range with five minutes remaining in the second.
Despite trailing by 11 at one point of the quarter, the Mustangs fought hard and managed to bridge the gap back down to four points to end the first half trailing 30-26.
The third quarter was remarkably similar, with both sides continuing in their close competition.
It was an incredibly low scoring quarter, with the score only increasing at 6-2 with the Warriors scoring the most with two minutes remaining in the third.
Western began trailing by 12 as the quarter started to wind up, as Waterloo continued their intense defensive pressure making it hard for the Mustangs to put up as many shots.
Western was quick to score to open the fourth, narrowing the Warriors lead down to 42-37 as they opened with a 6-0 scoring run.
Impressive off ball movement by the Mustangs put them in a better position to move past the Warriors defense, breaking through to keep scoring.
Western closed the gap back down to three points, closer than it had been since the first half of the night, in the final three minutes of play.
Despite bringing the game back within a single possession in the quarter, the Mustangs fell just short of sealing the victory against Waterloo, with a final score of 52-45.
Key Stats
Points - MacKeely Shantz (18)
Rebounds - Avarie Thomas (9)
Assists - Avarie Thomas (3)
The Mustangs face the Laurier Golden Hawks in their final game of the regular season in Waterloo at 6 pm. Fans can tune in live at OUA.tv to support Western!
