LONDON, ON
On Friday evening, the Mustangs returned home after a two-game road trip to Algoma to take on the top seed Guelph Gryphons.Â
In the first quarter, both teams came out hustling and playing great defense. Kailey Reimer got the Mustangs on the board with a corner three. Both teams played great defense throughout the first ten minutes, but Western's three-point shooting was on fire, going 5-12 from beyond the arc.Â
In the second quarter, Guelph came out strong, driving to the basket and making big threes. They built a 7-point lead on the Mustangs mid-way through the quarter. They put Western's offense on hold, running the shot clock down and restricting them to 11 points in the quarter. Guelph led 43-32 going into the break.Â
The Mustangs defense struggled to get consistent stops against a very organized Gryphons offense. Guelph extended their lead to as much as 21 points in the third, finishing the quarter up 67-42. Annie Balfe continued to fight for Western, pushing her way through the paint. She finished the night with 18 points. Guelph closed out the game 89-60.Â
Head Coach Nate McKibbon was happy with the way Mustangs treated the first quarter. "I thought we started off strong. We made five threes and we shared the ball well, but as we got tired and as we started missed shots, I think we started to get away from what we did well", he said.Â
The Mustangs are back in action at Alumni Hall against the York Lions on Saturday, January 18th at 6PM EST. Tune in on OUA.tv.
KEY STATS
F | Annie Balfe - 18 PTS (6-10 FG, 2-5 3PT), 2 REBS, 2 ASTS
G | Emily Capretta - 5 PTS, 3 REBS, 4 ASTS, 2 STLS
F | Avarie Thomas - 8 PTS, 3 REBS
G | Jenna Button - 9 PTS, 5 REBS, 4 ASTS
