Mustangs Fall in Overtime Thriller Against Ontario Tech, 84-88
Oshawa, ON – November 7, 2026 – The Western Mustangs men's basketball team came within seconds of completing a fourth-quarter comeback before falling 84-88 in a thrilling overtime battle against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks on Saturday evening at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre (CRWC). In a game that featured 20 lead changes, Western erased a late four-point deficit to force overtime, where Milan John knocked down four three-pointers in five minutes to keep the Mustangs fighting until the final seconds.
John finished with a team-high 22 points, while Tye Cotie recorded an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double. Despite the late push, Western saw its two-game winning streak against Ontario Tech come to an end, moving to 3-2 on the season.
The Mustangs opened the game with John answering an early Ontario Tech basket with a three-pointer. Emmanuel Akot followed with another shot from beyond the arc, while Andres Garcia and Lucas Sheets added layups to give Western a 10-7 advantage midway through the first quarter. Western's defence kept the Ridgebacks from establishing an offensive rhythm, holding them scoreless from three-point range on seven attempts. Owen Urquhart provided a spark off the bench with consecutive second-chance layups, extending Western's lead to six points, its largest of the night. The Mustangs carried a 16-11 advantage into the second quarter.
Ontario Tech responded with increased defensive pressure, forcing early turnovers and converting five consecutive free throws to tie the game at 16. Cotie answered with two baskets inside, but the Ridgebacks continued to trade blows, eventually building a 27-22 lead. Western fought back through Imisi Motunde and Sheets before Joe Baggaley-Lacerte finished a fast-break layup off an Akot steal to tie the game at 28. With the score tied again at 30 in the closing seconds, John intercepted an Ontario Tech turnover and buried a buzzer-beating three-pointer, sending the Mustangs into halftime ahead 33-30.
The momentum shifted after the break as Ontario Tech's Tombe Pitia took control inside, scoring the Ridgebacks' first six points of the third quarter, including two dunks. Western struggled to find consistent offence, but Urquhart and Baggaley-Lacerte kept the Mustangs within reach with timely baskets in the paint. AJ Cummings connected from beyond the arc to put Ontario Tech ahead 41-38 before Pitia added a three-pointer of his own to extend the lead to seven. The Ridgebacks outscored Western 21-13 in the quarter, taking a 51-46 advantage into the final 10 minutes.
Facing a five-point deficit, Western came out determined in the fourth. Motunde opened the scoring with two free throws before Garcia finished inside to bring the Mustangs within two. John then found Sheets in transition for a three-pointer, putting Western back in front 53-52 with 7:50 remaining. The lead continued to change hands as both teams answered one another, with Garcia providing several crucial baskets in the paint. John added a three-pointer and a jumper to give Western a 62-59 advantage with five minutes left.
Ontario Tech refused to go away. After Garcia restored Western's lead at 64-62, Cummings converted three free throws before knocking down a three-pointer to give the Ridgebacks a 68-64 advantage with 2:48 remaining. Garcia responded with a jumper, and Akot added a free throw to bring the Mustangs within one. With just 15 seconds on the clock and Western trailing 68-67, Cotie stepped to the line with a chance to tie the game. After missing his first attempt, he calmly converted the second to level the score at 68. Cummings had one final opportunity to win it for Ontario Tech, but his three-point attempt missed at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.
The extra period brought another dramatic exchange, with Cummings opening the scoring from beyond the arc before Emmanuel Okonkwo added a putback to give Ontario Tech a five-point lead. John answered immediately with a three-pointer, but Cummings responded with another of his own. Cotie finished inside to bring Western within three at 76-73, only for the Ridgebacks to pull away again behind baskets from TJ Richards and Caleb Kassa.
With 55 seconds remaining, Ontario Tech held an 83-73 lead, its largest of the game. What followed was one final push from the Mustangs.
Garcia scored inside before connecting on a three-pointer to cut the deficit to six. After an Ontario Tech free throw, John knocked down another three with 27 seconds remaining, bringing Western within four at 85-81. The Ridgebacks continued to add points from the free-throw line, but John had one final answer, burying his fourth three-pointer of overtime with seven seconds left. His remarkable shooting accounted for 12 of Western's 16 points in the extra period, but Ontario Tech held on for the 88-84 victory.
John led Western with 22 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, shooting 8-for-17 from the field and an impressive 6-for-9 from three-point range. Garcia followed with 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting, playing a key role in the fourth-quarter comeback. Cotie contributed 11 points, a game-high 12 rebounds and three steals, while Sheets added 10 points and eight rebounds. Urquhart finished with eight points off the bench.
For Ontario Tech, Cummings led all scorers with 23 points, while Richards contributed 16 points and eight assists. Pitia recorded a 14-point, 15-rebound double-double, and Okonkwo added 11 points, 13 rebounds and four steals.
While the Mustangs shot a respectable 41.7% from the field and 36.0% from beyond the arc, turnovers and free-throw shooting proved costly. Ontario Tech scored 29 points off turnovers compared to Western's 11, while the Ridgebacks converted 25 of their 32 free-throw attempts (78.1%). Western finished 15-for-26 (57.7%) from the line, with both teams recording 42 points in the paint.
Saturday's result snapped Western's two-game winning streak against Ontario Tech, which included an 85-75 road victory in November 2024 and an 83-73 home win in October 2025. The defeat evened the programs' all-time series at 3-3.
The Mustangs now sit at 3-2 on the season after a hard-fought road contest that saw them overcome a late deficit to force overtime and continue battling until the final possession.
The final 55 seconds of overtime featured some of the most impressive basketball of the night from both teams. Despite trailing by 10 points, Western put up an incredible 11 points in less than a minute, with Andres Garcia and Milan John refusing to let the game slip away. Every time the Mustangs made a big shot, Ontario Tech answered with clutch free throws, showing just as much composure under pressure. Both teams were playing at an exceptionally high level, combining for 16 points in those final seconds. It was a remarkable display of determination and execution from both sides, with Western's late scoring burst making the finish even more memorable despite the loss.
Western Mustangs Statistical Leaders
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Milan John: 22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 8-17 FG, 6-9 3PT
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Andres Garcia: 16 points, 1 assist, 1 steal, 7-13 FG, 1-2 3PT
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Tye Cotie: 11 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block, 3-9 FG
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Lucas Sheets: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 3-7 FG, 1-4 3PT
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Owen Urquhart: 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 4-7 FG
