The Niagara Knights women's basketball program (8-6, 5th OCAA West) cruised to a pair of victories over the Sault Cougars (3-10, 8th OCAA West) in a weekend doubleheader.
On Saturday evening the Knights opened up a 15 point first quarter lead that they would not relinquish en route to an 87-52 victory over the visiting Cougars. Niagara was bolstered by the return of Alyssa McCabe (Niagara Falls) to the court, leading the Knights with 24 points, five assists and five steals in the win.
Three other Knights reached double digit scoring as Emily Naccarato (St. Catharines) chipped in 17 points, while Brooke-Lyn Murdoch (Welland) and Courtney McPherson (Welland) added 13 each. McPherson also snagged 11 rebounds to record her eight consecutive double-double. On the defensive side of the ball the Knights were able to force 37 Cougar turnovers, led by eight steals from Murdoch.
With a quick turnaround on Sunday afternoon, a shorthanded Cougars team simply ran out of steam. The Knights carried a 24-point lead into the halftime break, and would cruise to a 71-33 victory over the visitors. Courtney McPherson recorded yet another double-double with 21 points and 18 rebounds. Miranda Ross (St. Catharines) and Marina Painco (Oakville) both contributed 12 points for the Knights. Defensively Brooke-Lyn Murdoch was stellar once again, adding four more steals to bring her weekend total to 12.
Head Coach Michael Beccaria was pleased with the Knights effort, especially on the defensive side of the floor. "We had a consistently strong defensive effort throughout all 4 quarters, which was the key to the victory today," quipped Beccaria following Sunday's effort.
Niagara will now play their next 3 contests on the road, visiting the Fanshawe Falcons (10-4, 3rd OCAA West) on February 4th. They will then head West for a pair of games against the St. Clair Saints (9-4, 4th OCAA West) and Lambton Lions (6-6, 6th OCAA West) on February 13th and 14th. The Knights will return home on February 19th for a date with the Humber Hawks (14-0, 1st OCAA West) in their regular season finale. Every game will now be pivotal as the Knights will look to finish the top 4 of the West division standings, which would guarantee them home floor advantage in the first round of the OCAA playoffs.
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.
