Engulfed in a sea of purple as part of Western basketball’s annual “Jam the Gym” promotion, Western’s women’s team overcame a first-half scare and defeated the Guelph Gryphons 70-47.
The Mustangs, now owners of a four-game winning streak, improved their record to 14-4 in the Ontario University Athletics West Division. The Gryphons fall to 2-16 and continue to reside in the OUA West cellar.
Mustangs guard Amanda Anderson had an impressive game, filling the stat sheet with 22 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Western coach Stephan Barrie praised Anderson, who is the OUA’s second leading scorer.
“Amanda did so many things today, but most importantly she sparked us when we needed it,” Barrie said. “At the beginning of the second half she was the catalyst of a run that put us back in control of the game. It was her getting a steal, making a few baskets, pushing the tempo and leading. She is our leader and she showed yet again why that is the case.”
On the other side of the court, Gryphons coach Angela Orton was happy with her team’s overall effort.
“We gave them a good run in the first half, but ultimately they are the more experienced team, and they took over on their home court,” Orton said. “We just need to continue to learn how to play on the road.”
Following a solid first quarter that saw the Mustangs nail four three-pointers and lead 22-9, the Gryphons fought back and outscored the Mustangs 21-10 in the second quarter. The Mustangs took back the lead on a last-second shot from newcomer Jacklyn Selfe, who explained how Western recovered after their sloppy second stanza.
“We had a terrible second quarter. It came down to our commitment to be focused and stick to the game plan. We just need to put together four quarters and [we] will be a very tough team to beat,” she said.
In the second half, the Mustangs came out with renewed vigor, thoroughly dominating their counterparts in front of the raucous Western crowd and scoring 38 points.
Mustang forward Lauren Parkes credited the increase of ball pressure along with the support of Mustangs fans in their second half improvement.
“We were refocused after the half,” Parkes said. “We increased the ball pressure, which caused their guards to turn the ball over more. There was also the loud crowd that gave us a boost of energy that we fed off of.”
The Mustangs welcome McMaster to Alumni Hall at 6 p.m. tomorrow, seeking to avenge a five-point defeat at the hands of the Marauders back on Jan. 23.