The Niagara Knights women's basketball program (8-6, 5th OCAA West) will hit the road Thursday night to take on the Fanshawe Falcons (10-4, 3rd OCAA West). A victory for the Knights would go a long way in securing home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Having won four of their five games in the second half of the regular season, Niagara is hoping to ride the momentum through the remainder of the regular season. With four games remaining, including a game against the fourth place St. Clair Saints (9-4, 4th OCAA West), the Knights find themselves two points out of fourth place, which would be enough to earn home floor advantage in the playoffs. A victory on Thursday would assist the Knights in making up ground on both the Falcons and Saints in the standings.
Miranda Ross (St. Catharines), a fifth-year paramedic student, will enter Thursday's contest a trio of three-point field goals away from becoming the Knights career leader in baskets made from beyond the arc. With 67 amassed in her career thus far, Ross sits two behind the career mark of Jessica James who drained 69 three-point field goals in her career from 2005-2010 in her Niagara Knights career.
As of late, the Knights have been propelled by the play of Courtney McPherson (Welland) in the season's second half. Dating back to the Knights previous matchup with the Falcons, McPherson has amassed a double-double in each of her last nine games.
In their only other matchup this season, the Knights dropped a 63-48 decision to the Falcons on home floor in November. Alongside the double-double recorded by McPherson in that contest, the Knights also received significant contribution from Ross, who narrowly missed a double-double of her own, recording 11 points and nine rebounds in the game. Entering play on Thursday, Fanshawe has experienced their share of ups and downs as of late, alternating wins and losses through their last six contests.
Statistically, the matchup features two of the league's top defensive squads. The matchup will feature two of the OCAA's stingiest defensive teams, as both the Knights and Falcons rank in the top five in multiple categories including points against per game and opponents' shooting percentage. If this is any indication of the game that we will see on Thursday night, the Knights will need to be propelled by their defense on the road to victory in London.
The Niagara Knights are hosting the OCAA Women's Basketball Championship on March 3-5, 2016 at the Welland Campus Athletic Centre. Visit www.goknights.ca/ocaawbb for everything you need to know about the event.
