The Niagara College women's basketball program wrapped up 2013 this weekend with a pair of road games versus the St. Clair Saints and Lambton Lions. The two road trip to South Western Ontario saw the Knights earn a split, falling 71-50 to the Saints on Saturday, before rallying to defeat the Lions on Sunday by a score of 72-36.
The Saturday matchup against the Saints saw two of the top-ranked teams in the OCAA square off. After the long bus trip, the Knights never seemed to find their legs, and turned in what head Coach Mike Beccaria called "a disappointing performance against a strong and aggressive" Saints' side.
Leading the way offensively for the Knights was fourth-year team captain Shelby Johnston. The Welland native finished with a team high 17 points in the loss.
The Knights endured a short turnaround, facing the Lambton Lions just 19 hours later in their final game of 2013.
The Knights bounced back on Sunday earning an impressive 72-36 win over the 2-7 Lions. Coach Beccaria called the game a "real character win on the road" to finish the season.
In a typical outing for the 2013-14 Knights, a team-based approach to the game proved to be the difference on Sunday. All 11 players on the Knights roster scored in the contest. Alyssa McCabe (Niagara Falls) and Tara Giallonardo (Fonthill) led the way offensively finishing with 14 and 13 points respectively,
Sunday's victory over the Lions moves the Knights to 7-2 on the season. The team currently sits in a tie for second place in the OCAA West Division and are off to their best start in recent memory.
Despite the success his team has had during the first nine games of the season, Coach Beccaria feels "we are still a work in progress with much to work on in the second semester."
The Niagara College women's basketball program will return to action on Sunday, January 5th when the team hosts the Genesee Community College Cougars at the Welland Campus Athletic Centre. Tip-off is set for 2:00pm.
The 2013-14 regular season will resume on Wednesday, January 8th when the Knights visit the Mohawk Mountaineers.