WELLAND, ON: The Niagara Knights women's basketball team (2-10) fell to the #1 nationally ranked Mohawk Mountaineers (12-0) at the Simplii Financial Athletic Centre in Welland on Wednesday night.  They had the Mountaineers on their toes for a good portion of this game but ultimately fell 82-59. 

A back-and-forth 1st quarter saw Mohawk take the early lead, but Niagara was able to claw their way back and score a last-minute layup to win the 1st quarter 23-22.  The Mountaineers were caught being a bit lackadaisical in the 1st quarter, but stepped up their game in the 2nd, outscoring the Knights 20-14 to take a 5-point lead into the half. 

The Knights once again had the second-half woes, as they struggled to keep up with this experienced Mohawk team.  Frustrations were starting to build for the Knights as they were only able to score 9 and 13 points in the 3rd and 4th quarters respectively.  Mohawk continued to play the press and push for turnovers as they cruised to the 82-59 victory. 

Seemingly a trend for this year, the Knights were led by 2nd year guard Lyric Shallow, who scored in the double-digits for the 4th straight game.  Tonight, she was good for 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals while playing the entire 40 minutes of this game.  2nd year guard Alyah Pereira also had a great game, tallying 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist while shooting 50% from the 3-point arc.  1st year guards Emma Vendittelli and Keira Teske combined for 18 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals in tonight's match. 

The Knights will have the week to rest and recover before they head to Ancaster to take on the Redeemer Royals at 6pm on Wednesday, January 28th.  All OCAA basketball action can be watched live at ocaalive.com. 

For more information on the Knights' teams, please visit us at www.goknights.ca