By Niagara College Sports Communcation Students, Zach Okum and Logan Johnston
November 24, 2022...WELLAND, ON - Both the men's and women's Niagara Basketball programs tip-off against Mohawk College in a spirited double-header style matchup tonight at the Welland Campus Centre, with the women tipping off at 6:00pm followed by the men at 8:00pm.
The women's program is coming off two back-to-back impressive wins over Conestoga (63-57 Knights) and Redeemer (71-62 Knights) respectively. The women's program is off to a 3-3 start to the season, good for fifth in the OCAA West Division. A win pushes the team past the .500 point percentage, making them a winning team after starting the season with a 1-3 record through 4 games. The team is shooting a combined impressive 26.6% from 3, and 37.1% from the field. Welland native Jamira Rousseau is leading the team in both minutes per game at 35.5, and points per game at an astounding 11.3.
The men's program is looking for their fifth straight win after winning tilts against Lambton (88-69 Niagara), Fanshawe, (77-61 Niagara), Conestoga (87-85 Niagara), and Redeemer (71-68 Niagara). The men outscored their opponents by a whopping 40 points through this stretch. So far this season, shooting forward Delroy Grandison has led the team in points per game with an impressive 14.6.
"We gotta get back to our fundamentals, work on our spacing, work on all the stuff that looked a bit muddled today, we'll be back" said women's basketball program head coach Chris Rao, following a tough defeat to Fanshawe's program. And back they were, looking like a well oiled machine in the two games following that loss, collecting two victories against Conestoga and Redeemer.
"A win is momentum, guys feel good, … practise like we play" said head coach of the men's program, Phil Mosley, following a fun win against Fanshawe. "If a win is momentum, four wins should be all the drive that the men's program needs to secure a win against Mohawk."
Both Knights basketball squads will be looking for a win tonight with just tonight and one more game at hand before the Christmas break.
