Saturday, February 16th saw the Niagara College Men's Basketball Program improve to 13-6 on the season after an impressive 88-79 overtime victory over the Redeemer Royals. The victory moves the Knights into a three-way tie for fourth place in the OCAA West Division.
The Knights started the game strong outscoring the Royals 45-26 in the first half. As has plagued the team in recent weeks, inconsistent second half play allowed the high energy Royals to battle back in the fourth quarter eventually forcing the Knights into overtime.
The Knights offense found its rhythm during the five minute overtime, as the team shot 5 of 6 from the field en route to the nine-point victory.
The Knights were led offensively by second-year guard Alex Campbell. The 2011-12 OCAA West Region Rookie of the Year finished the contest with a season high 28 points, while also adding seven rebounds and four assists. The strong performance earned Campbell Niagara College Male Athlete of the Week honours.
Also recording a strong game for the Knights was third year guard Jimmy Bilenga. The Hamilton native finished the game with 18 points and has been outstanding for the Knights since returning from a knee injury in early January.
The Knights will play their final regular season game on Wednesday, February 20th when the team visits the Humber Hawks. The Knights defeated the Hawks in their first matchup of the season, and a victory on Wednesday would clinch the team third place in the OCAA West Division and the right to host a crossover playoff game on Sunday February 24th at 2:00pm.
