Story by Niagara College Sports Communication Student James Goldenberg
November 12, 2022...WELLAND - The defence was the key as the Niagara Knights men's basketball team shut down the Fanshawe Falcons 77-61 in front of a raucous home crowd at the Welland Athletic Centre Saturday afternoon.
The Knights' (3-2) relentless ball pressure created 16 steals, forced 30 total turnovers, and limited the Falcon's leading scorer Ali Traore to just three points.
Head Coach Phil Mosely was delighted with the team's effort defending the basketball noting it was needed to offset a rough shooting night. "Overall, you have to be happy holding a team to 61 points in the OACC. Now we just need to have both sides working," Mosely said after the game.
The Knights came out firing, going three for seven from the 3-point arc. The strong shooting propelled Niagara to a 23-14 lead after one quarter.
But the hot hands turned cold in the second period. The Knights missed ten straight 3-pointers and Fanshawe's Aidan Whalen rallied his team back with a series of putbacks and layups. Halfway thru the quarter, the Falcons had pulled ahead 31-26. That's when the clamps came out. Spurred on by first-year guard Ethan Alino-DelaCruz's three steals and Reggie Williams' buzzer-beating 3-pointer, Niagara closed out the quarter on a 9-0 run. The Knights went into the locker room with a 39-35 lead.
The Falcons kept the game tight throughout the third quarter as both teams struggled to make baskets. Sensing that the team's outside shooting touch was not coming back, Mosely adjusted. "We had open shots from the outside, but they weren't falling. At the end we were trying to get lengthy possessions to shorten the game and get better looks," Mosley said.
The strategy paid off as the Knights outscored Fanshawe 23-13 in the final quarter on their way to the 77-61 win.
Williams and Delroy Grandison led a balanced Knights offence with 13 points apiece.
The Knights travel to Conestoga Wednesday to take on the (2-2) Condors. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 pm.
