LONDON, Ont. - Despite having their playoff hopes officially erased the night before with Laurentian's defeat of Ontario Tech, the Golden Hawks looked to end their season on a high note with a road win at Western. The Hawks weren't able to replicate the Mustangs' win in their season-opening match-up though, narrowly losing 69-63.

Both teams struggled from the field in the opening quarter, shooting around 25 percent. Laurier rookie Brittyn Graves and second-year guard Cassidy Hirtle combined for 10 points to pace the Golden Hawks to a 15-14 lead heading into quarter number two. 

In the second, Western was able to figure out their issues on offence, while Laurier continued to struggle from the field, hovering at 25%. While both teams took care of the ball, Western gained a few more opportunities by out-rebounding the Golden Hawks 14-9, with six Western boards coming on the offensive glass. After the first half, Western took hold of a 34-28.

In the third, Laurier found their form and dominated the frame. The Golden Hawks out-scored Western 21-12, shooting 50 percent from the field and behind the arc. Seven different Golden Hawks found their way onto the scoresheet, led by another five points from Hirtle.

They also played very well on both sides of the ball, giving themselves a three-point lead going into the fourth quarter. 

With Laurier's shooting falling off a bit in the fourth, converting at a 31% clip, the Mustangs turned it up a notch, shooting 54%  percent from the field and having their best-scoring quarter of the game. With four blocked shots as well, Western took the game back and outscored the Hawks 23-14 to win the game.

Once again, Miranda Campbell led the Golden Hawks in scoring, as she scored 10 of her team-high 16 points in the second half. Forward Janet Enge also matched a season-high with 10 rebounds on the night. 

With 14 points in the game, Hirtle also brought her team-leading points per game total to 14.3 on the season - ranking her 13th in the OUA. She also concluded the regular season with the 11th-highest points total in the conference.

The Golden Hawks finish the 2022-23 season fifth in the OUA West with a 7-15 record.


Top Performers
Laurier Golden Hawks
Miranda Campbell
Campbell had a great final performance of the season, racking up 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the tough loss.

Western Mustangs
Ariane Saumure
Saumure was outstanding, recording a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double, while also assisting on two baskets.