LONDON, Ont. – A 28-point first quarter got the Western Mustangs off to a fast start and they didn't look back, coming away with an 86-65 win over the Algoma Thunderbirds on Friday night at Alumni Hall.
 
"Everyone contributed," said Western head coach Brian Cheng. "Our bench got some good minutes and everyone contributed tonight on the stats sheet, especially on the points side of things."
 
Prior to the game there was a moment of silence for the passing of Jadwiga Barbara Wolynski, mother of Mustangs guard Caroline Wolynski. The team is dedicating their season to Jadwiga, and the Mustangs uniforms now feature a commerative black stripe.
 
The 21-point win is Western's second biggest margin of victory this season, coming second to the Mustangs season opening win in which they defeated Waterloo by 33 points. Friday's win is Western's third consecutive victory and improves the Mustangs record to 6-3 on the year, keeping them tied for first in the OUA West alongside the Windsor Lancers.
 
The loss gives the Thunderbirds a record of 0-9, just behind the Waterloo Warriors who have a record of 0-8 in the OUA West.
 
Western's Mackenzie Puklicz was the top scorer on the court Friday, recording 18 points for the home team. Meredith McLeod followed Puklicz's lead, coming in just behind with 16 points on the night. Victoria Heine had a strong game on both ends of the court, securing a double-double by tallying 14 points and achieving a Mustangs season high 14 rebounds.
 
"I felt like I could have done a little better in that sense," Heine says, despite her record-breaking success. "I missed a few bunnies, but next game I'll work on those, for sure."
 
On the other end of the court, Jordan Milos led the Thunderbirds, scoring 15 points including five three-pointers. Mackenzie Robinson followed closely, tallying 14.
 
Following Julia Curran's successful tip-off to start the game, Western took control of the scoreboard. Seven different Mustangs found themselves on the scoresheet in the first frame, which ended in a score of 28-19 in favour of the home team.
 
It was much of the same in the second quarter, with the Mustangs only allowing the Thunderbirds to add seven points to their score. Although neither team had a stellar shooting percentage in the frame, Western and Algoma sunk 37.1% and 34.5% of their shots respectively, the Mustangs ball control and higher volume of shots ultimately allowed the home side to end the half with a 45-26 lead.
 
Heading into the second half with a 19-point lead, the Mustangs kept their momentum rolling, and despite being outscored by the Thunderbirds 25-23 in the final quarter, Western claimed an 86-65 win.
 
The Mustangs will take aim at a fourth straight regular season win when they hit the road to face the Brock Badgers on Wednesday, January 20 at 6 p.m. Catch the game live on OUA.tv.