The old saying is "defence wins championships."

The defending OCAA silver medalists showed off their defensive skills Tuesday night against the visiting Fleming Knights, holding the Knights to single digit points in three of the four quarters, for a 59-34 win.

The win was the second in a row at home for the Seneca Sting who are looking to separate themselves from a log-jam in the upper-middle portion of the OCAA East standings.

The opening quarter saw the Sting jump out to an early 8-2 lead. Sharika Smith helped contribute to the early lead with strong shooting and hustle at both ends of the floor. Seneca took a 12-4 lead into the second quarter, with Smith pacing the team with six points.

The second quarter saw the Knights shooters come alive, specifically Kate Langer, who made two three-pointers in the quarter. Seneca's balanced shooting helped match the Knights 13 points in the quarter as they took a 25-17 lead into the half.

Seneca continued to distribute the ball in the second half with six players scoring points. Sharika Smith was the team leader all night, scoring in all four quarters. Seneca's defence held Fleming to nine and eight points respectively over the final two quarters. The Sting doubled the Knights with thirty-four in the second half.

Seneca has now held their last two opponents to 22 and 34 points after allowing an average of 55 points over their first 11 games.

Sharika Smith led the Sting with 18 points, 10 rebounds and two assists. Ashley Nurse and Lauren Egglestone each pulled down 10 rebounds while Paige Smith added 11 points. As a team, Seneca out-rebounded Fleming 61 to 37.

Fleming's Kate Langer was the top scorer for the Knights with 18 points and five rebounds.  Alyssa Edmonds added 11 points and three rebounds. Michelle Boyer was the top rebounder with six.

The Seneca Sting (8-5) will host Durham (2-9) on Tuesday, January 29 at 6 p.m. while the Fleming Knights (5-6) will back in action on Saturday as they host St. Lawrence (9-2) at 2 p.m.

Source: Seneca College