Women's Basketball rolls Niagara, 99-71

By: Nina Kersnik
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE – Humber women's basketball (2-0, 2nd West) put on a show for Hawks fans at the Nest on Wednesday evening with a 99-71 win against the Niagara Knights (0-3, 9th West). Senior Sarah Baptie stood out for the Hawks, recording 22 points and six rebounds. Marian Martin added 13 points of her own, shooting six-for-ten from the floor in 20 minutes of play.

Game Recap

It was a total team effort from the Hawks, who started strong right from tip-off to keep pressure on the Knights and score their first few baskets minutes into the match—with 8:35 left to go, Beverley Omere bucketed two at the charity line, giving Humber a 5-2 lead. Minutes later, the Hawks seemed to lose their rhythm over the next little while with several miscues, allowing Niagara to fight for a lead of their own. It wasn't until halfway through the first that former Knight turned Hawk Eremwon Destiny rebounded a shot high off the glass by Marian Martin to put the Humber up by five. Destiny, a recruit from Venice, Italy, recorded 10 points and six rebounds in her first game against them as a Hawk. As the clock wound down, both sides continued a tight race for the lead with a few chances each, but Humber would lead by a single point, 26-25, in the first 10.

In the next frame, the Hawks dominated the paint, as rookie Marina Apostolou scored two baskets off the bench. The Mississauga native recorded four points and went 2-2 at the free-throw line in the second quarter. Despite the hot hands from the home team, Niagara cooled off offensively as they were unable to capitalize on their chances in the offensive end. Knights guard Lyric Shallow bucketed her team's first basket of the quarter with 1:29 left on the clock. Shallow recorded 15 points by the end of the first half with four rebounds, one assist, and one free throw. With just under five minutes to go before the whistle, head coach Ceejay Nofuente sent in a few substitutions, including forward Mikayla Peel. Peel made one of the last two plays of the quarter to help Humber take a 55-43 lead, after outscoring Niagara 29-18.

After the break, Sarah Baptie put the first basket up off the glass with 8:40 to go in the quarter. The Knights, however, came back with multiple chances, including back-to-back three-pointers by Niagara's Bell Lexxus. But the Hawks continued to showcase their dominance with many more chances. The best of the quarter came from Carina Wynter-Joseph with a three from downtown and a nothing-but-net shot from beyond the arc by Sarah Baptie. In the final minute, Humber took a 73-57 lead with 10 left to play.

In the final quarter of regulation, the Knights hoped to drive some more offensive plays to chip away at the deficit. Instead, they remained ice cold, compared to the home team, which kept the visitors under its spell. This time it was Beverley Omere and Sarah Baptie who jumped from the arc and bucketed one three-pointer each to start the quarter. Minutes later, Mikayla Peel would make herself known once more as she received the ball off an assist by Baptie and hooked it up to guide it into the netting with nine seconds left on the shot clock. Then in the final minutes, Joulia Nawar created the Hawks' last chance of the game by cashing in a three with 24 seconds remaining. At the buzzer, the Hawks collected another W with a final score of 99-71, sending the Knights packing with a loss and a few injured players.

Humber Highlights

• The Hawks improve to a 46-12 all-time record against the Knights.
• Mikayla Peel finished with a career-high 11 points in the win.
• Baptie sits fifth in the conference in scoring, averaging 19.0 PPG.
• Humber tops the conference in Offensive Ball Control with 13 turnovers, 8.5 opponents' steals and 11.5 assists per game.

What's Next?

Humber travels to London for a battle of the birds against the Fanshawe Falcons (2-0, 2nd West) on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Glenn Johnston Athletics Centre.