Western vs Waterloo January 31 78-62,
Alumni Hall
Alumni Hall felt like it still had last night in its lungs, that little extra buzz that sticks around when a team is building something. But Waterloo walked in with a plan to mess up the rhythm, to make every cut and every catch feel crowded, to dare Western to stay patient. Head coach Nate McKibbon could feel it early, and later he put it simply when he said Waterloo "came with a really good game plan," and even though Western could score, Waterloo "were definitely putting us in danger in some of their rebounding situations," said coach McKibbon.
First quarter
The game started fast and clean for Western. Catíe Joosten popped a mid range jumper just seconds in, then Paris Alexander followed with a three that splashed like it belonged there all along. Alexander kept finding the same window again and again, two layups from the same spot, same angle, same calm. But Waterloo had a sniper in Ghiselle Poblete, and the moment Western gave Emily Capretta a step too much space to close, Poblete punished it with a three right at the top. Ashlyn Norris answered with another Waterloo three, and Sydney Cowan answered right back with one of her own, the kind that makes a building rise without anyone asking permission.
Waterloo had the slight edge most of the quarter, and even when Western tried to settle it, it stayed choppy and loud. Still, you could see Western starting to read the script. Right out of a Waterloo timeout, Western went hunting, trapping Poblete, and the pressure forced the ball straight into Cowan's hands. The message was clear, you are not going to walk into threes all night. Waterloo survived the first wave anyway, and with the pace high and the shot making real, Western trailed 21 19 after one.
Second quarter
This was where Western's maturity showed up. Capretta opened the quarter with a confident three from the left corner, then Cowan hit another from the opposite side, and suddenly it was a rainstorm on both rims. Poblete answered again, then hit another soon after, and Renée Armstrong answered right back. The scoreboard flipped like it could not decide what it wanted to be, and then Western finally made it choose.
The shift was not just threes. It was how quickly Western turned defence into offence, how they kept Waterloo from getting comfortable. Armstrong kept drawing bodies and finding outlets, exactly what Cowan talked about after, when she said "Renée always finds me, cause they all draw her, cause she's such a good player, and then she kicks it, and her passes are always spot on," said Cowan. Western carried that energy through the last minutes of the half and walked to the break up 44 39, not in control yet, but clearly steering the game.
Third quarter
Waterloo tried to drag it back into the mud. They were physical, they chased rebounds, they kept putting Western in second chance situations, the exact thing coach McKibbon pointed to when he said Waterloo "weren't necessarily scoring the first one," but they kept coming, and he noted they had "17 second chance opportunities," said coach McKibbon.
But Western answered the grind with adjustments and pace. Armstrong kept making plays defensively and then sparking the next action, and the Mustangs kept collecting stops that mattered. The biggest moment came right at the end of the quarter when Alexander rose into a three with only a few seconds left and buried it, the kind of shot that feels like it snaps a rope in a tug of war. That made it 63 48, and suddenly Waterloo was staring at a hill that was getting steeper by the possession.
Fourth quarter
Western came out like they wanted the game to end on their terms. Capretta drilled another three early, Natalie Van Heeswyk finished at the rim, and the defensive pressure kept tightening. Western kept stacking possessions with steals and blocks and frantic hands, and that was the story of the night, 26 forced turnovers, and a game that Western kept reshaping every time Waterloo tried to find a steady breath.
Coach McKibbon captured the heart of it after when he said the group talked at halftime about "trying to be comfortable being uncomfortable," and that games like this matter because they have "had to find ways to win, even when we're not necessarily playing at our best," said coach McKibbon. Cowan echoed the same heartbeat from the floor, calling it messy but survivable, when she said "although it was messy today, like, we pushed through, and we have confidence in each other that even when things get down, we can adjust," said Cowan.
And when Waterloo tried to make it a late push, Armstrong kept answering at the line, perfect all night. She smiled at how unglamorous the work really is, tracing it back years, even laughing about how her dad used to make her shoot free throws in the front yard. Now, with Nate and the staff putting "a big emphasis on making sure we're shooting foul shots after every workout," she said once she sees the ball keep going through, "the confidence is just there," said Armstrong. Western closed it out 78 62, a win built on shooting when it was there, and toughness when it was not.
