WATERLOO, Ont. – The Golden Hawks and Western Mustangs took to the court at the Laurier AC Gym on Saturday for the final game of the 2023/24 regular season. With both squads having secured a spot in the OUA playoffs, that took no pressure out of the game as final seeding was still on the line.
In the end, the Golden Hawks came away with the 79-68 win - their fifth straight victory producing their longest undefeated streak since the 2014/15 season.
It was also Senior Night as three graduating members of the Golden Hawks squad were recognized, including
Maddy White,
Alexa Sawchuk and
Khailan O'Connor.
When asked about the graduating players, Laurier's manager of women's basketball operations and head coach
Paul Falco said, "I know I'm really appreciative of their time and effort, especially in tough times because all of them had their basketball careers affected by the (COVID) pandemic. They were all able to persevere."
The first quarter saw a very aggressive Western squad run into a defensive-minded Golden Hawks team who created multiple turnovers due to Western shot clock violations. In contrast, the Golden Hawks had some poor luck at the net, often finding the rim instead, as they shot just 35% as a team from the field.
Kate White put the Golden Hawks on the board around the 6:40 mark with a deep three-pointer. White was joined by
Cassidy Hirtle,
Miranda Campbell,
Brittyn Graves and
Janet Enge, who all also put points on the board within the first quarter.
Falco explained that though it was a slower start "we were able to find our energy as the game went on and we hade multiple people contribute offensively, which is always good."
Western presented a particularly strong defensive effort under the basket in the second quarter, blocking four Golden Hawk shots for six total in the first half. This helped close the gap between the two teams, but back-to-back three pointers from White with five minutes to go helped Laurier finish the quarter with a 13-point lead.
The third quarter saw very similar play to the second; strong defence and stronger offence. The Mustangs gained some momentum by the end of the quarter as they whittled down a game-high 21-point lead for the Golden Hawks to just eight.
Falco explained that this was because the Golden Hawks "got away from our defence within the quarter."
"Western really got their offence going and we were lost defensively in terms of our communication," he said. "We were able to refocus and get back to how we were playing earlier in the game."
White again led the way offensively in the frame with another set of back-to-back three-pointers. Hirtle and
Emmanuelle Felix both made strong drives through the key resulting in baskets and
Maddy White went three for three from the free-throw line.
The fourth quarter was intense on all accounts. The Mustangs' attempts to close the lead resulted in a high number of fouls and intense runs on both sides.
Martina Errazo was a force on the court, both defensively and offensively, capturing eight points in her seven minutes of play.
Top Performers
Laurier Golden Hawks
Kate White
White has been an anchor for the Golden Hawks throughout the entire season, so its no surprise that she once again showed up for her team in this game. White opened the scoring for the Golden Hawks in three of the four quarters of play, securing a 20 points on the afternoon. It's the fourth time this season she has recorded 20 or more points in a game.
Western Mustangs
Emily Capretta
Capretta was a serious spark plug for the Mustangs squad and posed a serious threat to the Golden Hawks throughout the game. She was the top scorer in this Saturday's game with a game-high 22 points.
Up Next
The Golden Hawks open up the first round of the OUA playoffs on Wednesday night in Hamilton against the McMaster Marauders. Tip off at Burridge Gym is set for 6 pm.
Tickets are available now on the Marauders' website. If you can't make it in person, watch live on OUA.tv or stay tuned to live updates at @WLUAthletics on X.
