ST. CATHARINES, ON - It was a close game as the Western Mustangs faced the Brock Badgers on the road on Saturday night, ultimately resulting in a Badgers victory, 65-58.
Brock opened up scoring for the game, but the Mustangs had a great start offensively, pulling down four offensive rebounds in the first three minutes, placing them in a better position to gain a brief lead over the Badgers off second-chance shots.
Both sides were taking plenty of shots at the basket but struggled to sink them as the score remained below 10 for each team, heading into the final minutes of the first quarter.
Western was finding great success on the fast break, charging down into the paint and holding a narrow advantage over Brock on the scoreboard.
With the first quarter closed out, the Mustangs held on to their narrow lead, up by two at 16-14.
Right out of the break, the Mustangs continued to display their offensive ability, pushing their lead out to six in the first minute of play while holding the Badgers off at 20-14.
Although they started the quarter extending their lead, by the midway point of the second, the Badgers had managed to narrow their deficit down to just one point.
In the final few minutes of the opening half, the lead began changing back-and-forth as both teams went shot for shot with each other.
Although they trailed for the final minute of play, the Mustangs made an impressive play, swinging the ball around to Emily Capretta, who sank a three right on the buzzer to tie the score at 35 each.
Western was quick to score out of halftime, going up by two, before both teams then struggled to score over the next few minutes, with the score stagnating at 37-35 for the first half of the quarter.
The Mustangs continued to see success on the offensive rebound, collecting almost half of all their missed shots till this point of the night.
It was a tough quarter for both sides, with the score only increasing by 8 points overall with only three minutes left in the third, before the third quarter closed out, tied once more at 45-45.
The Badgers began the final quarter with a 7-0 run over the Mustangs, as Western struggled to sink shots on their first few possessions.
Western struggled to return from this deficit as Brock extended their lead, out-scoring the Mustangs 12-04 in the first five minutes of the fourth.
Brock extended up to a 10-point lead, their largest of the night, with two remaining on the clock. Western continued fighting hard, slashing the gap down to just five points, within reach in the final minute of play.
While they had a chance to bring the score back level at the end of the quarter, Western ultimately fell to the Badgers, as they picked up their 10th straight win, remaining undefeated at home, with a final score of 65-58.
Western will continue on the road next Saturday, February 3rd, against the Guelph Gryphons at 6 pm. Fans can tune in live at OUA.tv to support the Mustangs!
