Strong second half lifts Men's Basketball over Conestoga

By: Nina Kersnik
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE – Humber men's basketball (1-0, 1st West) downed the Conestoga Condors (0-2, 8th West) on Wednesday evening at the Humber Athletic Centre, 96-83. Fourth-year small forward Adrian Aluyi racked up 24 points off the bench, while Malik Grant added 18 points of his own.

The big win wasn't the only highlight of the evening, as the 2025 CCAA national champion squad was in the building to celebrate the team's eighth national title from last season with a ring ceremony before the opening tip-off.

Game Recap

The Humber Hawks were back at the Nest for the 2025 home opener, hoping to start the season with high energy after last season's CCAA gold medal win over the Durham Lords.

This time around, it was a slow start for the Hawks as the Conestoga Condors took a 5-0 lead early in the first. Humber's fifth-year star Malik Grant and newcomer Benni Kazadi responded to help the Hawks claw back.

Minutes later, point guard Isaiah Brady-Clarke countered with an excellent shot from downtown and a drive down the right side for Humber's first lead of the game. For the rest of the quarter, both sides would play tug-of-war for the lead with multiple chances. But the Hawks would eventually come out on top with a 24-19 advantage heading into the second.

In the second, Conestoga came back stronger, going up nine points in less than five minutes. Humber's offence, on the other hand, would go quiet, especially from star player Malik Grant, who would have just eight points in the second quarter compared to his 13 in the Hawks' last game with Conestoga.

Even with head coach Omar Miles' efforts to switch substitute players to drive offensive play sooner, Humber's first basket ended up falling just shy of the seven-minute mark thanks to Benni Kazadi. Minutes later, the Hawks slowly found their rhythm for Adrian Aluyi to tie the game at 36. The Toronto native would account for five of Humber's 18 points in the second quarter. But the Hawks would fall behind once again, allowing the Condors to take a one-point lead of 43-42, sending Humber's fans into shock.

In the third, possession was constantly in favour of the Condors despite the tight point difference. With just over five minutes to go, Conestoga held onto a 55-52 advantage as the Hawks struggled to find their rhythm. Then, in the dwindling seconds of the third, Humber regrouped to get back in the game. As the final minute dwindled, Kwabena Antwi stole the ball out of the hands of a Conestoga defender to sprint down the court alone to lay it in softly, injecting some life into the crowd. Seconds later, the reigning OCAA Player of the Year, Malik Grant, would follow with a buzzer-beater from beyond the arc to put the Hawks up by two, 66-64.

With ten minutes left, the fourth was in favour of the Hawks as Brady-Clarke dropped his second three-pointer of the game, just seconds after the quarter began. Minutes later, Conestoga would take a timeout with 7:39 left, but it didn't do much as Humber soared to an 84-72 lead with five minutes left. Only looking forward, the Hawks locked in to score a couple more, while the Condors would suddenly panic and constantly fumble their executions until third-year guard Joseph Awarji made the jump shot for three points.

Despite the late effort, Humber would defeat Conestoga 96-83 by the final buzzer.  

Adrian Aluyi earned Player of the Game, finishing with a game-high 24 points in 22 minutes of work.

Humber Highlights

• Humber improves to 38-6 all-time record against the Condors.
• The Hawks have won 24 consecutive OCAA regular-season games, dating back to Jan. 27, 2024. Humber's program record is 25 consecutive regular-season wins from Nov. 2009 to Jan. 2011.
• Humber has won 13 straight games at the North Campus Gym.
• Malik Grant sits four points shy of becoming the 38th member of Humber's 500-point club.

What's Next?

The Hawks stay at home to face the Niagara Knights (1-0, 1st West) on Oct. 29. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. and will be streamed live on the Hawks Sports Network.