Knights at Royals. December 4. 8:00pm
Sitting two games under .500 and looking to end a two game losing streak, the Niagara College men's basketball (3-5, 8th West) will be on the road Thursday night to take on the Redeemer Royals (4-4, 6th West). Both programs are currently headed in opposite directions as the Royals come into this matchup scorching hot, winners of four straight, including a 14 point win at Sheridan(4-5, 6th West) on November 28.
This game features two of the top ten scorers in the province. Fifth year forward for Redeemer, Calvin Turnbull (Burlington), is averaging 19.9 points per game which ranks him ninth in the OCAA. Niagara's Trevon Ash, a first year forward from San Diego, is ranked sixth averaging 21.2 points per game.
Fifth year center Ryan Christie (Hamilton) has missed the previous four games for the Knights with a back injury and remains a game time decision. Calvin Turnbull is also fourth in the OCAA, averaging 11.6 rebounds per game, so it may be up to fourth year forward Lawrence McNeil (St. Catharines) to continue is strong play in the paint. Both forwards measure in at six-foot-four which makes for a very interesting matchup.
|
|
Niagara College |
Redeemer College |
|
Points Per Game |
81.2 |
78.6 |
|
Field Goal % |
38.4 |
39.7 |
|
Three Point % |
29.2 |
34.9 |
|
Free Throw % |
58.3 |
75.7 |
|
Rebounds Per Game |
47.9 |
40.1 |
|
Assists Per Game |
10.6 |
13.0 |
An area that needs improvement for the Knights is from the free throw line. 58.3 percent places them at the bottom of the OCAA, ranked 20th out of 21 teams. Capitalizing from the charity stripe will be vital for Niagara as they look to make a push up the rankings in the second half of the season.
When these two teams faced off last season, Redeemer swept the series 2-0. Second year forward Levi Mukuna (Hamilton) led the Knights 29 points and 14 rebounds during the two contests.
For full season standings, statistics, schedules and more please visit: http://www.ocaa.com/sports/mbkb/index
