FANSHAWE 44, ALGOMA 29 (FINAL)

TORONTO – In a game where shooters struggled to hit their marks early, the Fanshawe Falcons were able to find their offensive groove late, advancing to the bronze medal game of the 2012 adidas/VSP Sports Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Women's Basketball Championship at Seneca College's Newnham Gymnasium.  The Falcons topped the Algoma Thunderbirds, 44-29, and will now take on the George Brown Huskies at 4 p.m. in a battle for OCAA bronze.  The match-up for tonight's OCAA gold medal game has already been set, pitting the host Seneca Sting versus the Algonquin Thunder, with the game scheduled for 6 p.m. tonight.
 
The Falcons, ranked as the No. 1 seed in the OCAA's West Region, and the Thunderbirds, ranked as the No. 2 seed, shot 19% and 27% respectively in the first-half, with Algoma up 16-15 headed to the break.  The game's second-half produced a more spirited offensive contest as Fanshawe began attacking the glass with authority.  With 14 free-throw attempts in the third and fourth quarters, the Falcons began to take control of the game.  In the third quarter alone, Fanshawe outscored Algoma 13-2, paced by OCAA All-Star Natasha Amo, of Toronto, who finished the game with 13 points and three rebounds.  Amo was later named adidas/VSP Sports Player of the Game for the Falcons.  Fellow All-Star Kaitlind Dutrizac, of London, Ont., produced another superb effort for Fanshawe in the tournament with six points, seven boards and four assists.
 
Algoma, meanwhile, could not deliver a complete team-effort in their attempt to qualify for the bronze medal game.  OCAA All-Star and Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian Corina Bruni, of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., collected a team-high 13 points, eight rebounds and four steals on six-for-17 shooting from the field but her team-mates were only able to record six field goals, combined, throughout the remainder of the game.  Off the bench, the Thunderbirds got a boost from fellow Sault Ste. Marie native, Erika Warren, who grabbed two points and four boards, providing a spark for Algoma and earning Player of the Game honours for her squad.  With the loss, the Thunderbirds are eliminated from medal contention at the tournament.
 
The Falcons now have a brief two-hour respite before their bronze medal match versus the Huskies.  

Source: Sheridan College