Western men rally for win over Guelph

By Mustangs Athletics

LONDON, Ont. – Ryan Barbeau’s bucket with 1:28 remaining in the game stood up as the winner Wednesday night, as the visiting Western Mustangs beat the Guelph Gryphons 69-66 on the road.

BOX SCORE

Barbeau added an insurance basket with 21 seconds left, and the Western victory was clinched when Guelph was unable to connect on a three-pointer on the other end. With the win, the Mustangs improved their record to 6-11 on the season. The Gryphons, meanwhile, fell to 8-9.

The Gryphons jumped out to an early 16-7 lead Wednesday night, making a trio of three-pointers in the first seven minutes. But it was a close contest for the remainder of the game. The Mustangs pulled to within four after the first quarter, and went into the half trailing 42-39.

A free-throw by Barbeau with 1:40 left in the third quarter gave the Mustangs their first lead, 53-52, since early in the contest. The lead then exchanged hands six times before Barbeau put Western ahead for good.

Barbeau led all scorers Wednesday night with 27 points on 8-of-22 shooting. The fifth-year senior, who continues to lead the OUA in scoring, also added seven rebounds and seven assists. Ryan Higgins was the only other Mustang in double figures, finishing with 12 points and five rebounds.

Kareem Malcolm was the top scorer for the Gryphons, tallying 18 points on 7-of-20 shooting (though he went just 1-for-10 from three-point range). He also had nine rebounds in the contest. Zachary Angus had 15 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Daniel McCarthy had 13 points and eight boards.

The Mustangs shot 41.1% (23-for-56) overall Wednesday night, while the Gryphons struggled to a 32.2% (19-for-59) mark. Western was 6-for-19 (31.6%) from three-point range, while Guelph was 6-for-27 (22.2%). The Gryphons outrebounded the Mustangs 43-27 overall.

The Mustangs (6-11) will return home this Saturday, Feb. 4, for a game against the Brock Badgers (9-8) at 3:00 p.m. at Alumni Hall. For tickets, click here. That game will also be available via Live Stream at: http://www.ssncanada.ca/game/2986/