Falcons Upset Niagara to Advance to Final Four

(London, ON) – The Fanshawe Women's Basketball squad (10-8, 5th West) upset the No. 10 nationally ranked Niagara Knights (15-3, 1st West) on Saturday on the road. The Falcons won by a score of 56-53 to punch their ticket to the OCAA Final Four Championship in Ottawa from February 28 to March 1, 2025. 

It was a defensive battle in the first quarter, as both teams struggled to find a groove offensively. A deep three by Keren Hasebenebi (London, ON) and layup from Renee Maat (Oakville, ON) put the Falcons on the board and gave them a slim 11-9 lead after the opening frame. 

The Birds settled in and moved the ball well in the second, with assists on all of their made field goals. Joanna Smith (Simcoe, ON) had seven points in the quarter to lead the Falcons offensively. In the final seconds of the half, Myra Ciccarelli (Hamilton, ON) secured an offenseive rebound and found Ashlyn Anderson (Latchford, ON) in the paint for a bucket to give Fanshawe a 26-19 lead.

The talented and experienced Niagara team came out strong in the second half, going on a 14-4 run and forcing the Falcons to call a time out. Fanshawe regrouped and stepped up their defense with steals from Ciccarelli and Smith. The Falcons went on a 14-4 run of their own to make the score 44-37 after the third frame and hold their lead. 

Anderson showed why she was named the OCAA West Division Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-Star in the fourth quarter. Anderson had nine points on 4/5 from the field and five rebounds in the frame to lead the Falcons' attack. Fanshawe would go up 14 points on a nice dish from Karyn TeBrake (Ottawa, ON) to Anderson with six minutes left. However, the Knights proved why they were West Division champions and started making shots to get back in the game. The Niagara run reduced Fanshawe's lead to three, with a chance for the Knights to tie the game with 12 seconds left. Excellent defense by Ciccarelli and Sidney Deleary (Chippewas of the Thames) would prevent any open looks for Niagara's top players, and the Falcons went on to win the game 56-53. Anderson led Fanshawe with 19 points and 15 rebounds, while Smith netted 15 points of her own. Anderson's 15 boards ties a Fanshawe Women's Basketball playoff record for most rebounds in a playoff game.

Fanshawe will now travel to the OCAA Championship, hosted by Algonquin College. The Falcons will face a talented Mohawk Mountaineers team (13-5, 3rd West) in an OCAA semi-final game on Friday, February 28 at the Jack Doyle Athletics & Recreation Centre in Ottawa at 5:00 p.m. Mohawk is currently ranked 15th in Canada.

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