LONDON, Ont. – The Golden Hawks made a pit-stop to visit their division foes, the Western Mustangs, for the final game of the regular season.
Only two weeks ago the teams met, where the Golden Hawks'
late surge came up short, and they were hoping to split the season series this time around. However, a huge fourth quarter from the Mustangs saw them victorious by a score of 74-63.
The Golden Hawks broke onto the scoresheet first with a strong possession that saw two offensive boards, keeping the Hawks in Mustang territory.
Cassidy Hirtle attracted the double-team, leaving
Janet Enge wide-open for the easy two points.
Rookie forward
Keira Aikman buckled down a few minutes later as the Golden Hawks were able to get the ball flowing to take advantage of Western's defence when Aikman, working the low post, got the bank-shot to go.
With 1:35 remaining in the opening quarter and Laurier only down by two,
Brittyn Graves intercepted the errant pass and the layup fell, plus the harm. The Golden Hawks ended the first quarter on an 8-2 run to lead 19-18 going into the second.
The Golden Hawks were still in their groove in the second frame, going on a 9-3 run this time, capped off by Hirtle who drained the three-ball, pulling the purple and gold in front 28-23. Hirtle had a team-high five points in the quarter on perfect shooting.
At 2:18,
Kate White made her mark from distance, knocking down the triple, putting her side up by six. However, the Mustangs would respond with their own three-pointer, and the Golden Hawks took a 39-36 lead into halftime.
It looked like a promising start to the second half, until the Mustangs caught fire from beyond the arc. Western hit a three-peat of three's in a two minute span to turn the tables on the Golden Hawks, putting them behind 47-43.
The Golden Hawks made a late push as
Isabella Cotton fed Aikman who spun off her defender to bank the layup off the glass and draw the foul. Not even 30 seconds later, second year guard
Kayleigh Rawson sank the elbow jumper, levelling the score at 51 a piece.
Laurier would pull ahead by one at 54-53 by the end of the third quarter thanks to the Mustangs finding themselves in foul trouble, putting the Hawks in the bonus.
To open the final frame, White sank her second three-pointer of the game off a catch-and-shoot pass from Cotton, giving the Golden Hawks a four point advantage.
However, the Mustangs took over from that point on. Western's Jenna Button put up nine points in the quarter on her way to a 30 point, four rebound, five assist night. The Mustangs shot the lights out, going 53% from the field and 4-7 from distance.
With 33 seconds remaining, White took it end-to-end and finished on the contested layup.
White, who has only scored in the single digits five times this season and has averaged 14.5 points per game, recorded herself another double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. In the month of February, she has three double-double's in five games.
The Golden Hawks finished the regular season with a 9-13 record, but clinched a spot in the playoffs. Laurier will travel to the Royal City on Wednesday, February 19, to face the Guelph Gryphons in round one of the OUA playoffs.
Tipoff is set for 6pm. Cheer on your Golden Hawks by catching the action live on
OUA.tv and @WLUAthletics on X.
