LONDON, Ont. – After trailing at the end of the first quarter, a 24-point second frame helped the Western Mustangs pick up their eighth consecutive win, defeating the Nipissing Lakers 70-59 on Friday night at Alumni Hall.
 
"I think some of their tactics sort of got to us a little bit," said Western head coach Brian Cheng of his team's tough start. "It slowed us down, and we got into our own heads."
 
The Lakers may have forced the Mustangs to get into their own heads, but in the end they were unable to halt the purple and white's success. Western continues to lead the OUA West Division with 22 points, an 11-3 record, and an eight game winning streak that is the longest in the OUA this season.
 
The loss moves Nipissing to 2-11 on the year, keeping them in fourth place in the North Division.
 
The Lakers record isn't as strong as the Mustangs, and Maddy Horst says that may have played a part in Nipissing's early lead.
 
"We came out very flat off the start, and we had trouble getting back after that," said Horst. "We underestimated them I think, because last year we took care of them pretty easily and we were kind of expecting the same outcome this year. Obviously they've changed just as we have."
 
Horst was Western's second leading scorer of the night, as she contributed 14 of the team's 70 points. Mackenzie Puklicz, who currently leads the OUA with 19.8 points per game, topped all players with 24 points in the win. She also led the Mustangs in rebounds, grabbing a total of eight boards.
 
Three different players scored in the double digits for the visiting side. Claire Abbott led the Lakers with 22, followed by Mackenzie Bahm and Alexe Galipeau-Wilson both with 10. Galipeau-Wilson was the only player on the court to achieve a double-double, grabbing 12 rebounds on top of her 10 points.
 
From the tip-off, Nipissing took the lead with guard Abbott scoring an early three pointer. The Mustangs responded quickly with baskets from Puklicz and Julia Curran, but they were unable to hold on to the lead. It was an uncharacteristic for the the purple and white as the first ten minutes saw numerous miscommunications and missed passes. That, in combination with the Lakers full-court press, resulted in Nipissing holding a 15-13 lead after the opening frame.
 
After an uneven start, the Mustangs began to adjust and found their footing in the second quarter. The team's shooting accuracy increased from 36.4% to 48.3%, and a strong final three minutes allowed the Mustangs to finish the half ahead 37-28.
 
Following the halftime break, the Lakers continued to force the Mustangs to work hard for their lead. In the third quarter, the Lakers out-rebounded and outscored the Mustangs, with 10 boards compared to eight, and 20 points versus 17 for Western. The Lakers success cut into the Mustangs lead, with Western up 54-48 after three.
 
Heading into the final ten minutes, the Lakers kept the Mustangs on their toes. They continued their full-court press and forced the home team to take tough shots as the shot clock wound down. Despite the Lakers aggressive defence, the Mustangs outscored their opponents 16-11 to walk away with a 70-59 win.
 
Tomorrow poses as a chance for the Mustangs to extend their streak even further, as they face the Laurentian Voyageurs at Alumni Hall at 6 p.m. with the game also being broadcast live on OUA.tv
 
"We're going to need a full team effort," says Cheng. "We're going to need to play together from the tip of the ball, minute one to minute 40."