WELLAND, Ont. - Sunday, Nov. 17 saw the Niagara College women's basketball program improve to 5-1 on the season after defeating the Mohawk Mountaineers 63-50 at the Welland Campus Athletic Centre.
The win moves the Knights into a tie for second in the OCAA West Division with the St. Clair Saints.
After the game, Niagara College women's basketball head coach Mike Becarria commented, "I'm happy with the win over a good Mohawk team. We played with good intensity, and responded to their defensive pressure."
Leading the way offensively for Niagara was third-year forward Kaitlyn McPherson. The local Welland native "had a very strong all-around game," felt Beccaria. The 5-foot-10 early childhood education student finished with team highs in points (18) and rebounds (nine).
Throughout the season, the Knights have used all 10 players on their roster, and employ different combinations of line-ups throughout each game. The concept of starters and bench players is something Coach Beccaria rarely discusses. He added, "Today's game saw everyone contribute, and that's exactly how we need to play. It was a full team effort, and in all of our games stat sheets rarely reflect what happens on the court."
With a record of 5-1 the Knights are off to one of their strongest starts in recent memory. The team has three tough road games remaining before heading into the holiday break.
The OCAA's No. 5-ranked Niagara College women's basketball program will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 23, when the team travels to Ancaster to take on the Redeemer University College Royals.
Source: Niagara College
WELLAND, Ont. - Mohawk's basketball teams were off to Welland on Sunday (Nov. 17). The men's team came back with two points, but the women returned empty handed.
The Mountaineer men improved to 5-1 with a 97-77 verdict over the 0-6 Niagara Knights. But head coach Brian Jonker was not overly impressed. "We must do a much better job of coaching. Our defence was terrible. We rebounded poorly. We turned the ball over too much. Other than that we were pretty good," quipped Jonker.
Matt Fennell led Mohawk with 26 points, which included eight 3-pointers. Andrew Cicuttini had 17 points and eight rebounds; Jeff Hunt scored 15 points, had seven boards and five assists; while Taylor Dowhaniuk had 12 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots.
There was disappointment on the women's side where teams with identical records squared off. The home town Knights dumped the Mountaineers 63-50.
Careena Browne had 19 points and Allyson DeLorenzi scored eight in a losing cause.
"We were totally outplayed for most of the game," said Mohawk head coach Kevin Duffy. "We had no focus or energy at either end of the court. We dug ourselves a hole early and spent the whole game playing catch up. It was very disappointing. We need to have a good week of practice and get back to the basics to help us be successful."
Mohawk dropped to 4-2 while Niagara improved to 5-1.
Source: Mohawk College