Friday, January 17th saw the Niagara College women's basketball program lose a hard fought 71-59 battle to the Sheridan Bruins.
The match saw the Knights open on a 10-0 run before taking a 31-24 lead into halftime. However, a cold stretch of shooting coupled with an injury to leading scorer Tara Giallonardo saw the Knights outscored 47-28 in the second half.
After the match Knights head coach Mike Beccaria commented, "even in the second half we had chances and were really never out of it. We were down by six in the final minutes but just didn't make our shots."
The difference in the contest proved to be the hot hand of third-year guard Shylanda Saunders. The Dartmouth, Nova Scotia native is currently leading the OCAA in scoring with 21.3 points per game. Saunders recorded an outstanding 23 of her 25 points in the second half.
The Knights were led offensively by first-year guard Mary Ingribelli. The five-foot-nine native of St. Catharines finished with 16 points, four assists, two rebounds, and two steals. Ingribelli is currently studying Police Foundations at Niagara College.
Turning in her second consecutive strong game for the Knights was Shelby Johnston. The veteran forward and Welland native finished with 13 points and a game high seven rebounds.
The loss drops the Knights to 8-4 on the season and into a three-way tie for third place in the ultra-competitive OCAA West Division.
The team will return to action on Tuesday, January 21st they host the Erie Community College Cougars in a 6:00pm exhibition match at the Welland Campus Athletic Centre.
The Knights will resume league play on January 25th when the team travels to London to take on the Fanshawe Falcons. Tip-off is set for 6:00pm.
