(London, Ontario) – The No. 4 CCAA ranked Fanshawe Women's Basketball team (21-1, 2nd in West) repeated as OCAA provincial champions on Sunday evening with a 93-80 victory over St. Clair (16-5, 3rd in West) in Windsor.
St. Clair used their home crowd to propel them to a strong start to the game, going up 20-8 on hot shooting from beyond the arc. Fanshawe kept the game within reach with layups from local fifth-years Natalie Warren and Mikhaila Wright. The high-scoring first quarter ended with the Falcons trailing by a score of 28-20. The Saints extended their lead in the second quarter, shooting lights out from long range. Fanshawe's Chuot Angou (London, ON) was also on fire in the second frame hitting three triples of her own. At the break, the Falcons were down 52-42.
Fanshawe came out hungry in the third quarter, stepping up their defense and holding St. Clair to only six points on 4.8% shooting. Wright had 15 points in the frame on 5/7 from the field and 4/4 from the charity stripe. A huge 3-pointer from rookie Ashleigh LaBlance (Wallaceburg, ON) gave the Falcons momentum as they would turn their 10 point half time deficit into a 10 point lead going into the final quarter, 68-58.
A strong drive to the rim from second-year guard Jessica Jordan (Chatham, ON) resulted in made free throws to open the fourth frame for the Birds. Despite St. Clair's best efforts to claw back into the game, the Falcons had huge hustle plays by Wright and Warren to maintain possessions. With the Saints having to foul, Fanshawe shot 81% from the free throw line to secure the victory. Wright and Angou were outstanding for the red and white, each notching 30 points in the win. As a team, the Falcons shot an impressive 47% from the field.
Angou was named player of the game and a Tournament All-Star along with Warren. Wright was named the Tournament MVP for her outstanding performance throughout the weekend, averaging 26.3 points per game on 55% shooting. The Falcons now advance to the CCAA National Championships from March 18-21 in Nanaimo, BC.