Falcons Dominate Knights in 33 Point Victory

(London, ON) - The Fanshawe Falcons women's basketball team (5-2) hosted the Niagara Knights (2-6) on Wednesday night in what was the Birds' final home game before the winter break. Fanshawe was nothing short of dominant, routing the visiting Knights 85-52 to send the Glenn Johnston Athletic Centre faithful home happy.

There were two very different philosophies on display, as Niagara attempted to force the issue from beyond the arc early and often, while Fanshawe was content to work the ball down low into the paint. The Falcons' emphasis on pounding the paint proved to be the correct strategy, as they outscored the Knights 21-14 in the opening frame, including going 7/8 from the free-throw line.

The second quarter was pure domination from the Birds, who outscored Niagara 27-8 in the frame thanks in large part to Sidney Deleary (Chippewas of the Thames). Deleary caught fire in the second, showing off her range with back-to-back three-pointers before being set up nicely inside for a layup to cap her own personal 8-0 run midway through the quarter. Fanshawe carried a commanding 48-22 lead into halftime.

The third quarter was all Ashlyn Anderson (Latchford, ON), as last season's OCAA West Division Rookie of the Year has taken her game to a new level, emerging as one of the most impactful players in the conference. Anderson scored 13 of her 22 points in just five minutes of floor time during the third quarter, including 11 straight to open the frame. She finished with an outstanding stat line of 22 points, 16 rebounds, two assists, and two blocks for her fifth double-double of the season. Fanshawe entered the fourth leading 64-41.

In the final quarter, the Falcons cruised to the finish line, outscoring Niagara 19-11 to close out the win 85-52. It was an excellent all-around team effort, as the Birds outrebounded Niagara 65-30, outscored them 56-4 in the paint, and shot an extremely efficient 15/18 from the charity stripe, numbers that will surely put a smile on Coach Carriere's face.

The Falcons will close out their first-semester schedule with a road matchup against the Redeemer Royals (1-6) on Saturday, November 29 at 1:00 p.m. Fanshawe will look to push their winning streak to three games and head into the winter break with jolly vibes. Livestreams for all Falcons road games can be found at ocaa.com/live/index!

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