Box Score ST. CATHARINES, ON - Despite a slow start to the night, the Western Mustangs broke out in the second half against the Brock Badgers, emerging with a twenty-point win, improving to 6-1 on the road.
It was a slow start for the Mustangs, as the Badgers scored the opening points and held Western off the board for the game's first three minutes.
Western was able to pull back into it, quickly warming back up offensively and bringing the score within two halfway into the first quarter. The visiting side had trouble sinking shots from the field, with almost half of their points coming from free throws.
Coming into the game, Cole Cruz-Dumont sank a three, bringing the Mustangs within one point in the final three minutes, right off the bench.
The Mustangs struggled offensively throughout the quarter, shooting at 20% from the field, as the Badgers kept advancing their lead with quick transition plays.
The first quarter ended at 19-12 in favor of the home side.
Brock had a solid start to the quarter, extending their lead up to ten points in the first two minutes, as the Mustangs once more took their time warming back into it.
By the five-minute mark, Western had managed to tie the score with a three-pointer from Milan John and then took their first lead of the night up briefly at 24-22 as the Mustangs offense picked up.
Ultimately, the Badgers managed to maintain their momentum through the majority of the first half and held the Mustangs away from stealing the lead for long, as the first half concluded with the score at 36-32 in favor of Brock.
Coming out of halftime, the Mustangs quickly tied the score, up at 36 each, as they opened this half the way Brock opened the first, with a 4-0 run.
While the lead went back and forth through this quarter, Western's third quarter was much more powerful than the first half.
Their play was more consistent on both ends of the court, putting up more accurate shots and maintaining tight defense, which allowed the Mustangs to pull up with an eight-point lead with less than two minutes remaining.
Back-to-back threes from the Badgers brought them within three points of the lead Western spent the quarter building in the final minute of play.
After an electric third, Western began to showcase their offensive prowess against the Badgers, allowing themselves to out-score their opponent 25-18 this quarter, holding the lead over the home team up 57-54.
Holding the same energy as the third quarter, the Mustangs spent the opening minutes of the fourth with the same surge of energy, consistently building on their lead.
In the first five minutes of the quarter, Western had improved their field goal percentage to 41%, out-scoring Brock 38-21 since halftime.
While they still seemed to struggle defensively, only pulling down 25 of the available 68 rebounds with four minutes remaining, the Mustangs' reliance on their dominant offense deflated the Badgers.
An airborne Aryan Sharma put the nail in the coffin of the Badgers' energy with an impressive one-handed dunk, solidifying the Mustangs' lead-up by 13.
Despite the turbulent start to the night, Western managed to build themselves a dominant lead over the Brock Badgers, 81-61.
Western will continue on the road next Saturday, February 3rd, against the Guelph Gryphons at 8 pm. Fans can tune in live at OUA.tv to support the Mustangs!
