UNIVERSITY MEN'S BASKETBALL
The Western Mustangs men's basketball team is hanging on by its fingernails.
It couldn't be any clearer what they need to survive.
The Mustangs need to beat the Lancers in Windsor on Saturday. At the same time, they have to hope the Brock Badgers lose their final game and the Guelph Gryphons lose their final two.
It's the only way they'll make the Ontario university playoffs after a 90-79 loss to the McMaster Marauders on Wednesday night at Alumni Hall.
As Mustangs coach Brad Campbell was walking to talk to his team, he kicked out the plug that ran the air compressor keeping the giant inflatable M pumped up. It started to deflate quickly.
It's how the Mustangs felt.
"We have no more options. We have to win Saturday and hope for a lot of help," Campbell said.
It was a night when the Mustang youth really showed. They made a lot of mental mistakes and the Marauders took advantage of them.
"We didn't shoot well from outside and gave them too many easy baskets," Campbell said.
The Mustangs are 8-13 after the loss and play the 13-7 Lancers. Guelph could well lose both games heading to Thunder Bay to play the first-place Lakehead Thunderwolves. But 9-12 Brock plays 5-15 Waterloo.
A lot of cards are going to have to come up right for the Mustangs to extend their season.
The Mustangs scratched and clawed to the end against the Marauders. But their defence failed them, especially in the second half, when they gave up too many easy shots and layups against a much better team. The Marauders are 16-5.
The Mustangs only hit on 4-of-18 from three-point range and were outrebounded 53-40 by the Marauders.
Cam Michaud led the Marauders with 23, while Aaron Redpath had 18.
Ryan Barbeau, playing his last game at home as a Mustang, had a game-high 34 points. Peter Scholtes added 13.
Barbeau was his usual competitive self, playing virtually 40 minutes. Usually a senior is pulled so that he can leave to the applause of the crowd, but Barbeau played to the end. No doubt the Mustangs hope he could throw up a trio of lightning bolts to make the game a little closer.
"For four years, I've seen guys leave. Now it's me," Barbeau said. "It feels really weird."
It's been a tough season for the Mustangs. Youth and injuries have made it tough to find any consistency.
Aside from a win against Windsor, the one thing Campbell would like to see Saturday is continual growth.
"Our last game, I want to see a little more progression," he said. "I want to see a little more of the details of the game plan getting executed. To take us in the right direction for next season.
"Just do those little detail things we talk about day in and day out to make us better."
The Mustangs only graduated Barbeau as a regular player.
They had eight first-year players on the roster.
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