NIAGARA 73, SHERIDAN 70 (FINAL)

WELLAND, Ont. - They were far more competitive than their first two losses, but the end result was the same for the Sheridan Bruins men's basketball team (13-6, 5-3 OCAA) as they dropped to a tight 73-70 decision to OCAA West leading Niagara.

"This is a very disappointing loss because we felt we had the right game plan," head coach Jim Flack said. "They're a team that loves to score a lot of points [and] we made them play a different style than they wanted to play but in the end we just shot a bad percentage. Part of it was due to their defence, but I think a large part of it was that the guys who need to score for us, didn't score."

The Bruins trailed 20-17 at the end of the first quarter but were able to hold a 34-33 lead at halftime, mostly on the strength of a 10-2 run late in the frame.

The third quarter was back and forth the whole way with six ties and seven lead changes and with the double-blue on top 55-52 going into the final quarter.

Niagara slowly began to take control early in the fourth, with a 7-0 run giving them a 64-60 lead that they ultimately wouldn't relinquish.

The Bruins had their chances to tie late, pulling to within one - down 71-70 - but were unable to extend the game by putting Niagara on the free throw line and the ensuing breakaway dunk forced the visitors to force up a desperation three at the buzzer that clanged off the back rim.

Dylan Periana was a spark plug off the bench, scoring a team-high 20 points while Khalid Abdel-Gabar (12), Denmark McDonald (12) and Orlando Palmer (11) were in double figures.

The club has one game remaining this semester - hosting Redeemer this Saturday (8pm) - and Flack is hoping it will help them lay the foundation for the playoff drive in the new year.

"Tonight was a good lesson for a team that's still growing," he said. "All we've got to do now is play better Saturday night, take the semester break and try to figure out what it is we're trying to accomplish here."

Blue notes: The game was so tight that there were 16 lead changes and 10 ties, with no team holding more than an eight-point edge at any point. The Bruins held Niagara well under their 89.5 point per game average.

Source: Sheridan I.T.