WELLAND, ON: The Niagara Knights men's basketball team (5-8) took down the visiting Mohawk Mountaineers (9-4) in a Wednesday evening matchup at the Simplii Financial Athletic Centre in Welland with a final score of 88-79.
The Knights and Mountaineers were neck-and-neck for most of this one with 10 ties and 12 lead changes over the course of the game. Mohawk's largest lead in this game was 3 points, which happened with 1:30 remaining in the 1st quarter. Niagara's largest lead was towards the end of the game – they led by 13 with just less than 5 minutes remaining in the game. Both teams had 26 personal fouls as well as 16 turnovers. The difference-maker in this game was the 3-point shooting; Mohawk shot only 12% from beyond the arc, while Niagara shot 35%, most of which was thanks to Joseph Buckley going 4-6 from the 3-point circle.
Scoring was shared evenly in the 1st quarter as 5 different Knights posted points. In the 2nd quarter, 1st year guards Joseph Buckley and Steven Jean Mesidor stepped up, combining for 13 of the team's 18 points. This saw the Knights take a 1-point lead into the halftime break.
Niagara continued to apply pressure, as once again 5 different Knights scored in the 3rd quarter. Buckley continued his excellent efforts adding another 8 points in this quarter while going 3-for-3 from the free throw line. The Mountaineers tried to stay in this one until the very end, but costly turnovers down the stretch and a plethora of fouls, would ultimately cost them the game as they were once again outscored in the 4th quarter. Arguably the best 4th quarter effort by the Knights so far this season saw them increase their points total in each of the 4 quarters of this game.
The Knights were once again led by 1st year guard Joseph Buckley, who tallied 26 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists while going 8-for-9 from the free throw line and shooting 64% from the floor. 1st year guard Noah Li had his best game so far and his 3rd consecutive game scoring in the double-digits. He racked up 17 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block while shooting 45% from the floor. 3rd and 4th year guards/wings Kadin Moore and Skylar Samuel combined for 25 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block.
The Knights will host another home game this coming Sunday, January 25th against the Canadore Panthers. Tipoff is set for 3pm at the Simplii Financial Athletic Centre in Welland. If you cannot join us in person, be sure the stream the action at ocaalive.com.
For more information on the Knights' teams, please visit us at www.goknights.ca
