The Windsor Lancers overcame a slow start to defeat the Western Mustangs in dominant fashion, 94-68 at the Dennis Fairall Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.
 
The Lancers played with effort on both ends of the floor, using stingy defense and timely shooting to take down their rivals and start the season 1-0.
 
GAME STATS
Olivia Osamusali led all scorers with 24 points on 10/11 shooting. The Mustangs were led by Rachel Fradgley who scored 13 on 6-14 shooting.
 
The Lancers were fantastic in the turnover margin, forcing 20 while giving up just 13.
 
First year guards Maggie Denys and Harriet Carey had great days from beyond the arc, combining for 7-14 shooting from deep in their first regular season game.
 
GAME FLOW
Things got off to a slow start for the blue and gold. The Lancers shot just 44 per cent from the field while allowing the Mustangs to make over half their looks in the opening quarter. Osamusali kept the Lancers going offensively, maintaining a strong presence down low and giving the Mustang bigs headaches. Osamusali also chipped on the defensive end with a big block towards the end of the first quarter to protect a slim Lancers lead.
 
In the second quarter the Lancers got hot from beyond the arch, draining four from deep, three of which came from first year guard Maggie Denys who shot 75 per cent in the quarter. The shooting spurt gave the hosts some separation at halftime, up 49-39 over the Mustangs.
 
The Lancers three-point shooting cooled off in the third quarter, but the Windsor offense continued producing. Osamusali continued to be a problem for Western inside, not only scoring but on the boards as well. The blue and gold defense was the star of the quarter, blanking the Mustangs from three-point land and allowing them to make only two of their 14 shots in the quarter, which extended the Windsor lead to 73-51 after three quarters.
 
Windsor's defense continued to swarm and cause all kinds of problems for Western. The Lancers were lifted on offense by stellar performances from their two first year guards Denys and Carey in the 94-68 win.
 
QUOTE FROM THE COACH
"I loved their poise," said Lancer head coach Chantal Vallée postgame referring to Denys and Carey. "What I appreciate is our veterans let them play. This is their sixth or seventh game with us and I think they already have a feel."
 
UP NEXT
Windsor will host the Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday, October 26th at 6:00pm. Tickets are available at www.goLancers.ca/tickets.