The University of Western Ontario Mustangs dominated the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, defeating them 75-48 in the third quarter-final matchup of the Canadian University Sport (CIS) men’s basketball championship on March 13 at Scotia Bank Place.

The highly anticipated game was a matchup of the fourth-seeded Mustangs and the fifth-seeded Gee-Gees.

The game began with both teams playing with equal intensity, trading baskets several times.

The back-and-forth effort was a fast-paced show of buckets and turnovers on the part of both teams.

U of O centre and first-team Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East all-star Dax Dessureault got into foul trouble early, receiving two personal fouls shortly into the quarter.

At the end of one, Western held a slim 15-14 lead.

After a close first quarter, the Mustangs dominated the second, outscoring the Gee-Gees 18-6.

Abysmal shooting in the first half hurt U of O, who hit just 23 per cent of their shots, including an zero for eight performance from behind the arc.

The first half ended with Dessureault missing a dunk as time expired, with Western commanding a 33-20 lead.

In the third, the struggles continued for U of O, with the ball bouncing everywhere but in the net, including into the hands of the Mustang players.

Western took advantage of Gee-Gee mistakes, and was able to hold a 54-39 lead going into the fourth.

Sloppy play both offensively and defensively was the story of the fourth quarter for U of O, with fouls, turnovers and clanking shots spelling eventual their eventual defeat.

With 2:42 remaining in the game, Dessureault collected his fourth foul on a goaltending call.

With more then two minutes remaining to play, both team’s benches came out to garner playing time, signifying the end of the game and the beginning of garbage minutes.

U of O shot just 27 per cent from the field in the game, in comparison to Western’s 47 per cent.

Leading the Mustangs was fourth-year forward Keenan Jeppsen with 17 points and seven rebounds.

Dessureault led the Gee-Gees with 12 points, eight boards and three blocks.

Gee-Gees head coach David DeAverio spoke about his team after the game, explaining the loss.

"We shot seven for 30 in the first half, and I think it was worse in the second half,” he said. “We’re not beating a team like that shooting seven for 30."

Western head coach Bradley Campbell was excited about the win, and quick to credit U of O’s talent.

"We’re ecstatic, I mean Ottawa is an excellent team,” he said. “We felt that Ottawa easily has the talent, the veteran leadership and the coaching to compete for a national championship."

Western moves on to the second quarterfinal game to face off against top-ranked Carleton – who handed them a defeat in the OUA final.