Wednesday, January 24th saw the Niagara Knights men's basketball program improve to 10-4 with an impressive 89-66 home court victory over the visiting Conestoga Condors. The win moves the Knights into third place in the ultra competitive OCAA West Division with six games remaining in the regular season.
"Tonight was a slow start that carried on for most of the first half" said Niagara Knights head coach Mike Hurley, "We dug in defensively in the third quarter, which helped spark several offensive runs for us in the second half."
The Knights managed just 11 points in the opening quarter and carried just a 33-27 lead into the half. The team exploded offensively notching 35 points in the third quarter before turning to their bench in the final frame on-route to the solid victory.
The Knights were paced offensively by second year guard Van Hutchinson Jr (Nassau). The Six-foot-three former OCAA first-team all-star finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds, both team highs. Hutchinson Jr. has been red hot for the Knights in the second half raising his season averages to 18.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.
Also turning in a strong performance for the Knights was rookie point guard Johnnie Richardson. The Niagara Falls native finished with a season-high 14 points on a solid 3 of 6 shooting from behind the three-point arc.
The win gives the Knights a season sweep of the Kitchener-based Condors, who are making their OCAA basketball debut this season. The Knights will now have a full week off until they face the OCAA leading Sheridan Bruins on Wednesday, January 31 for the first annual #NCTalks for #BellLetsTalk mental health matchup. Tip-off is set for 8:00 at the Welland Campus.
