BRAMPTON, Ont. - On the strength of a 35-point effort from Shylanda Saunders, the Sheridan Bruins women's basketball team (8-6, 4-3 OCAA) knocked off their rivals from Humber, 58-51.

"We had been practicing for this game real hard, we imposed a lot of good things defensively," Sheridan head coach Willie Delas said. "Defence was our key. We tweaked our offence a little bit, and gave everyone the opportunity to get involved."

After a slow start from both teams, the Double-Blue held a narrow 11-9 at the end of the first quarter.

A 9-2 Sheridan run late in the second quarter gave the home side a seven-point cushion that they would hold at halftime, leading 27-20.

Five quick points to open the third quarter gave them a double-digit advantage, which they would push as high as 13, before leading 47-34 going into the final frame.

The two sides exchanged runs, with Humber narrowing the margin to eight only to see the Lady Bruins push it back to 12, before another run from the visitors to close brought it down the final point spread.

Saunders hauled down nine rebounds to go with her game-high 35 points while Samantha Lovat also chipped in with 12.

The team will have a full 10 days between games, when they travel to Redeemer on Nov. 29.

Delas says a key component of the next stretch will be to rest up and try to carry the momentum they created in this result.

"It's a win against a No. 1 team, especially in our situation," he said. "We're a little short-handed with Haeven [Durrant] being injured, so it rallies the team, gives them a lot of boost, a lot of confidence. We're going into the next game with that in mind."

Source: Sheridan College