(London, Ontario) – In Barrie on Saturday afternoon, the Fanshawe Women's Basketball team (6-11, 7th in West) upset 2nd in the East, Georgian Grizzlies (12-3) by a score of 69-64 to advance to the OCAA final eight.
Fanshawe got on the board first, with an offensive rebound and put back from point guard Myra Ciccarelli (Hamilton, ON). The Falcons handled Georgian's press and were able to capitalize on fast break points when fifth-year captain Alison Cotton (London, ON) found Ciccarelli for an easy bucket. Georgian stayed with Fanshawe in the first quarter by capitalizing on shots from the charity stripe, going 9/9. A swish from beyond the arc by rookie Joanna Smith (Simcoe, ON) would keep the Birds on top 19-17 after the first frame.
In the second quarter, Renee Maat (Oakville, ON) added to the Falcons offensive rebounding total and scored a layup of her own. Fanshawe continued to give it their all on the glass, as Shauntee Centen (London, ON) then hit two free throws after securing another board. The Grizzlies kept the game close with veteran Janella Viado scoring 17 first half points. The teams traded buckets, but consecutive hustle steals from Cotton would keep the Falcons ahead 34-32 at the break.
Fanshawe came out flying in the third quarter, as Sidney Deleary (Chippewas of the Thames) had six straight points, finding the left lane on her defender and finishing at the rim. Jaimie Stahlbaum (Aylmer, ON) hit a stop and pop jumper to continue the Falcons' 10-2 run. Smith then got hot from the three-point line, going 3/3 from long range in the quarter to give the red and white a 59-48 advantage. Great ball movement by the Falcons resulted in nine assists on 11 made field goals in the quarter.
In the final frame, Fanshawe went cold offensively, but would hold Georgian scoreless for four minutes with excellent full court defense to maintain their lead. With 4:30 left in the quarter, Georgian showed why they were the top 3-point shooting team in the league, and began to knock down shots from long range. Buckets from Cotton and Maat would keep Fanshawe on top, and the Falcons played strong team defense in the final minute to secure the playoff victory.
With 15 rebounds, Cotton ties the Fanshawe Women's Basketball record for most rebounds in a playoff game. Cotton also recorded 12 points on 6/11 from the field to make it her 12th double-double of the season. Maat recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and 11 boards. Smith recorded a team-high 17 points and 4 steals, shooting an impressive 5/8 from three, while rookie teammate Deleary contributed 9 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists.
The Falcons will look to pull off another upset when they travel to Niagara for their OCAA quarterfinal matchup against the Knights (13-4, 3rd in West) at 2pm on Saturday, February 24.