Lady Knights Fall to No. 1 ranked Lions at CCRI Invite
01.13.20
Janessa Perry
Warwick, R.I. – January 13, 2020: The CCRI Lady Knights basketball team hosted the 2020 CCRI Basketball Invitational over the weekend. CCRI invited the Tigers Roxbury Community College, the Mustangs of Monroe College and the No. 1 ranked (NJCAA DIII poll) Lions of Nassau Community College to the Cullen Fieldhouse. On Saturday the Lady Knights faced the undefeated (13-0) and No. 1 ranked Lions of Nassau Community College form Garden City, NY. The Lady Knights lost to the Lions 89-31. With the loss CCRI falls to 4-12 on the season.
The Lady Knights were playing their sixth game versus a nationally ranked opponent in the No. 1 ranked Lions on Saturday who arrived at the Cullen Fieldhouse with a perfect 13-0 record. The Lady Knights tried their best but the incredible full court pressure defense of the Lions was overwhelming. After one quarter the Lions led CCRI 16-3. In the second quarter Nassau’s defense was even more intense as they pressured the ball all over the court while rotating 13 players into the game to keep fresh legs and apply more pressure to the Lady Knights’ offense. The Lions outscored CCRI 30-6 in the second to take a 46-9 lead into halftime.
In the second half the Lady Knights tried to gain some traction to change their fate in the game but the Lions were not having it as they extended their lead to 65-16 by the end of the third quarter. The Lady Knights did not give up and finished the game doing all they could to attempt to cut into the lead but Nassau ran away with the 89-31 victory.
Leading the way for the Lady Knights was freshman Janessa Perry (Charlestown, RI) with 11 points including a 3-pointer with five rebounds and two assists. Sophomore Co-Captain Nicole Chamberlain (West Warwick, RI) scored a team-high 12 points including a 3-pointer with three rebounds and two steals. Ireauna Pegus (Middletown, RI) added six points, eight rebounds, four steals and a blocked shot. Co-Captain Faith Fahnbulleh (Providence, RI) added a team-high 10 rebounds with two points and an assist.
The Lady Knights will have no time to rest as they will face the Division I Mustangs of Monroe College Sunday at 4pm as they complete their play in the 2020 CCRI Basketball Invitational.
For all things CCRI Athletics, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube by clicking on these links!
The Community College of Rhode Island, New England's largest comprehensive community college, enrolls nearly 15,000 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes. Its athletic program boasts 12 varsity programs and an academic support program for all student-athletes.