Western vs Toronto 71-70
Alumni Hall
Western guarded Alumni Hall knowing Toronto would test them early, and Toronto did exactly that.
The visitors opened the night with confidence, a quick three and a block on the other end setting the tone. The Mustangs answered through Matteo Zagar inside and Milan John settled things with a three of his own, but Toronto continued to apply pressure. By the end of the first quarter, Western trailed 25–17, yet the game already felt closer than the score suggested. Toronto's offensive fouls began to stack up, possessions growing sloppy, momentum quietly shifting even as Western chased.
That momentum surfaced in the second quarter.
Shots started to fall in rhythm instead of desperation. Joe Baggaley-Lacerte stepped into his second three, then Milan followed with another, the ball moving freely and confidence spreading across the floor. Toronto tried to slow it down, but the Mustangs kept coming. Then came the possession that turned the game entirely.
Joe caught the ball on the perimeter, rose into his shot, absorbed the contact, and still watched it fall. Three points first. The whistle after. One more at the line. A four-point play that erased an eight-point deficit in one breath and flipped the building in the next. Western finished the half on top, 39–35, having turned patience and trust into control.
Joe said afterward that moment came from trust more than anything.
"Man, I passed up a shot early in the game," he said. "And most of my coaches, they were like, 'Joe, shoot the ball.' And like, when I hear someone say that, you go out there and shoot it. I trust these guys and they trust me."
The third quarter opened with force.
Milan pushed the pace in transition, Owen Urquhart finished through contact, and Western stretched the lead to double digits at 50–40. Toronto responded with a run of their own, trimming it back to a single possession after a Nathan Bureau three, but the Mustangs answered again. Isaiah Young's hustle created an and-one for Tye Cotie, and Joe struck once more, drilling his fourth three of the night to close the quarter with Western still in front by five.
Joe felt that confidence growing in real time.
"It feels great," he said. "It makes me know I'm capable of doing it again. So I'm just trying to keep that confidence up, come off the bench, give good minutes, and help us win more games."
The fourth quarter refused to let anyone breathe.
Toronto tied it. Western answered. Toronto tied it again. Then Joe slipped inside for a layup and Emmanuel Akot buried a three, forcing a timeout with the Mustangs up 67–61. Owen added an and-one to stretch it to eight, but Toronto had one last push. Possession by possession, the game tightened until the scoreboard read 70–70.
Thirty-seven seconds left. Toronto ball.
The defence held. The ball came back to Western. Matteo Zagar stepped to the line.
He missed the first.
On purpose? He joked later.
"I missed the first on purpose," Zagar laughed. "Just to make the game more interesting."
Then he did what he always does. Same routine. Same breath. Same calm.
"I really worked on my free throws this week," he said. "Same routine every time. Deep breath, a couple dribbles, let my fingertips feel the rim. I had no doubt."
The second free throw dropped at the horn. Western 71. Toronto 70.
Head coach Brad Campbell said moments like that reveal everything.
"We know our guys are resilient," he said. "They believe they're going to win. They fight right to the end. And tonight, especially, Joe gave us a huge lift off the bench."
On a night decided by trust, timing, and one final calm breath, Western walked off the floor with one of its most complete wins of the season.
