October 31, 2022...WELLAND - The reigning 2022 OCAA bronze medalists thumped the visiting Sheridan Bruins 97- 48 in their season opener Saturday night at home.
After ending the first frame up 22-13, Niagara began to pull away with a 54-23 lead at the half, outscoring the Bruins 32-10 in the second quarter.
The Knights took total control through the third, leading 79-39 before hammering the Bruins in the fourth 19-9 to cruise to a convincing 97-48 win.
Niagara had six players record double digit stat lines, including second-year Taryn Mitchell who netted 26 points in the contest. Jamira Rousseau recorded a double-double on the night with 10 rebounds and 13 points.
The Knights had solid OCAA debut performances from rookies Kate Roth (13 points, 5 rebounds,) and Olivia Turko (12 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds).
"I thought we played really well tonight," said head coach Chris Rao.
"I was really happy with where we are at defensively right now. We have to make some progress but we executed our scout well and that's a good place to be after game one. Offensively we are getting better and better at running our stuff and sharing the ball and our assist numbers reflect that."
The Knights will now hit the road for their swing trip against St. Clair Saturday at 4:00 pm, and Lambton Sunday at 1:00pm. All games can be streamed on OCAA live.
