The Warriors lost a crucial match to improve their playoff hopes falling to the Western Mustangs on Saturday afternoon by a score of 94-80. Ryan Barbeau had 27 points and five assists, leading the way for the Mustangs while Luke Kieswetter (Waterloo, Ont.) and Cam McIntyre (Kitchener, Ont.) each had 14 points in Waterloo's loss.
The Waterloo Warriors came out strong offensively with McIntyre hitting shot after shot. The Mustang's offense responded strong rallying back from an early 22-8 deficit with ten consecutive points, inching closer the Warrior 24-18 lead. Barbeau had six points in the first as he went two-for-two at the free-throw line.
Early into the second quarter, Marcus Barnett drained two back-to-back threes. Minutes later Barnett added another three point swoosh. The Mustang three-point dominance continued as Dillon Hamilton contributed one and Nathan DiLoreto had his second of the game. Western and Waterloo each scored 19 points in the quarter as the Warriors held onto the 43-37 lead.
In the third quarter, Andrew Wedemire, who went three-for-three at the free-throw line, tied the game, while Barbeau's long three gave the Mustangs the lead for the first time in game. Barbeau's 13 points led the third quarter offense. Wedemire's ten points added to the Mustangs 68-57 lead heading into the last quarter.
The final quarter saw the Mustangs battle to keep the lead. Heavy defensive pressure led by Wedemire and Barnett's rebounds allowed Western to maintain the lead. Barbeau added another seven points, including a long three halfway through the fourth. The Mustangs ended the game with a 94-80 victory.
Alan Goodhoofd (Oakville, Ont.) had another strong game for the Warriors in the loss with 13 points and led all players on the boards with 11.
Waterloo dropped to 8-12 on the season with 16 points tied for sixth spot with Guelph and Brock. Waterloo will need victories in their final two games of the season to ensure a playoff berth. They host cross-town rivals Laurier on Wednesday night at 8:00 pm and travel to Hamilton to face the McMaster Marauders on Saturday, February 19 to conclude their season. The game time was changed from 3:00 pm to 2:00 pm for the McMaster game.
