KINGSTON, Ont. - The Durham College women's basketball team finished fourth at the OCAA championship following a 99-55 bronze medal game loss to the Niagara Knights on Saturday afternoon in Kingston.

The Lords qualified for the OCAA championship for the third consecutive season, with their final four appearance being the first for DC under head coach Heather Lafontaine. The fourth place finish also matches the best result for the Lords women's basketball program since an identical final four appearance in 2005-06.

DC were competitive through the first quarter of the Saturday afternoon showdown, with action going back-and-forth, resulting in Durham trailing 24-17 at the end of one period. However, Niagara pulled away through the remaining three quarters, scoring 20-plus points in each of the three frames. Durham had no answer for OCAA west first-team all-star Bridget Atkinson, who scored 22 of her game-high 34 in the first half. The Lords also struggled to break through the Knights defence, turning the ball over 24 times, of which Niagara scored 27 points off turnovers.

Offensively, the Lords did see four of their five starters reach double-digit points, led by 17 from Durham's player of the game Emily Glendinning (Plattsville, Ont.). The production at one end was not able to be matched at the other, allowing the Knights to pull away early and carry the lead to the third step on the podium.  

Durham finished third in the OCAA east during the regular season with a 12-5 record. The Lords qualified for the OCAA championship after defeating the Lambton Lions in the OCAA crossover round, 72-70. They then earned their place in a medal game after upsetting the No. 10 nationally ranked Humber Hawks in the quarter-finals, 68-59. DC then fell 71-51 to St. Clair in the OCAA semifinals, before facing off with the Knights on the final day of the provincial showcase.  
 

FROM THE FLOOR

• Honoured as an OCAA first-team all-star at the beginning of the championship weekend, Glendinning rounded out her second trip to the provincial championship with a player of the game performance. She finished the afternoon with a team-high 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting, nailing one three pointer, along with going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. 
• Fellow starters Maddie Dender (Ajax, Ont.) and Emily Chamberlain (Kingston, Ont.) each added 11 points, while Keisha Arthurworrey (Oshawa, Ont.) chipped in with 10.
• Named the Knights player of the game and an OCAA championship tournament all-star, Atkinson scored a game-high 34 points in 36 minutes, while also recording a game-high six assists.
 

IN THE PAINT

• In her best performance of the weekend, Chamberlain brought down a team-high eight rebounds, adding two assists and one steal to her stat line.
• Niagara outrebounded the Lords 54-39, including a game-high nine rebounds from Atkinson. She would also record six steals, defensively.
 

QUICK LOOK AT THE LORDS

Overall Record: 19-15
Conference Record: 12-5

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