Friday, November 20th saw the Niagara College men's basketball program get back into the win column in a big way as the team defeated the visiting Fanshawe Falcons 83-66 in front of a strong home crowd at the Welland campus athletic centre. The win moves the CCAA No. 8 ranked Knights to 5-1 on the season, and into a tie for second place in the deep and talented OCAA West division.
"We got the result we were looking for tonight" said Niagara College men's basketball head coach Keith Vassell. "We defended extremely well and managed to dictate the flow of the game all evening. Tonight was a solid effort by the entire team."
After the opening 90 seconds of the contest the Knights never trailed, riding a wave of momentum to the tune of a 28-5 run in the dying minutes of the second quarter that saw the team carry a 54-35 lead into halftime. The third quarter proved to be the same story, as the Niagara side stretched their lead to as many as 29 before turning to their bench and cruising to the victory.
The Knights were led offensively by veteran scorer Marako Lundy (Nassau, Bahamas) who finished with 21 points, six assists, and four rebounds.
First-year big-man Derrick Stobbs (Midland, Ontario) turned in arguably his best game of the season. The athletic six-foot-six forward was dominant on the glass, grabbing a game high 11 rebounds, including a pair of spectacular put-back dunks that electrified the crowd and his teammates.
The win sets the stage for a marquee matchup between two of the top teams in the CCAA on November 28th when the Knights host the No. 15 ranked Lambton Lions (5-1, 2nd OCAA West) at 3:00pm at the Welland Campus athletic centre. General admission tickets to all Knights home games are $5.00 but free for Niagara College students and those under the age of 17.
