Dominant first half lifts No. 13 Women’s Basketball over Fanshawe

By: Nina Kersnik
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE – No. 13 Humber women's basketball (8-2, 2^nd West) put on a dominant performance at home on Wednesday night, defeating the Fanshawe Falcons (7-3, 3^rd West) 78-62. Saleah Joseph was named the Player of the Game for Humber, scoring 14 points and going 2-3 from the free-throw line. Sarah Baptie also dominated on the court, scoring 17 points and adding six steals.

Game Recap

The Hawks had loads of energy right from tip-off, as they used their speed and hot hands to pressure the Fanshawe Falcons on all ends of the court. Their solid defensive effort would hold the Falcons back from entering double digits throughout the quarter.

Meanwhile Fanshawe, who trailed the Hawks for the entire quarter, couldn't seem to find a rhythm. The Falcons' main flaws were seen at the far end of the hardwood as they failed to cycle the ball and produce on the offensive end. With five minutes left, the future wasn't looking bright for Fanshawe who went 0-9 from downtown, giving Humber several opportunities for a basket.

The Hawks also did well at the back end of the first ten with Saleah Joseph and Marley Bonnick grabbing six points each by the end of the quarter. The biggest play for Joseph in that time came at the very end when she jumped going up and over for the layup, giving her team two more.  Her efforts among others allowed the Hawks to have a comfortable 14-point advantage over Fanshawe with a score of 23-9.

In the second, Humber started out quickly putting nine points on the scoresheet, less than two minutes in, forcing the Falcons' head coach Bill Carriere to call a timeout at 7:57. However, that timeout wouldn't do much for them to regroup, and they found themselves relying on their star player Ashlyn Anderson instead. Within that stretch until the next timeout at 4:52 Anderson scored four of the nine points by Fanshawe, finishing the night with 17.

Play on the court looked remarkably different on the side of the Hawks once again who jumped up to an additional eight points in that time frame. That bucket to bring Humber to the 40-point milestone was made by Marian Martin at the three-point line. Martin made all her shot attempts in that quarter resulting in a five-point finish. Sarah Baptie also stood out for the Hawks, draining a three to close out the quarter for her squad, ending the first half with 13 points. As for the Falcons, their offence couldn't ignite much more, allowing the Hawks to head into the break at the century mark, 50-26.

After the break, the Falcons regrouped and seemed to have come back to life with some early offensive pressure. Despite being unsuccessful in as many points as their opponents through 20, Fanshawe racked up 11 points to Humber's four in the beginning of the quarter to tighten the gap. However, the Hawks gained their strength overtime with 11 of their 17 points in the quarter coming from Saleah Josephs, Eremwon Destiny and Beverly Omere. Josephs made the biggest contribution with five points, while Destiny and Omere had three respectively. In the end, Humber proved they took full control over the court, exiting the third with a 22-point lead over the Falcons.

In the final ten minutes, Fanshawe remained fired up through the first half, continuously pressuring Humber in their defensive end. In that time, the Falcons Ashlyn Anderson and Layla Mackenzie bucketed eight of their ten points compared to Humber's three in the first five minutes. In the back half Fanshawe continued to play scrappy, putting everything they could into getting more points. Nevertheless, their efforts to close the gap wouldn't be enough for the Hawks who remained well ahead due to the massive lead they established early on.

With time dwindling down, Humber kept control and snatched the game from the Falcons 78-62. Humber's Sarah Baptie, Eremwon Destiny, and Marley Bonnick combined for six of 11 points in the quarter, guiding their squad to victory.

With the win, the Hawks moved up to the number two seed in the conference, breaking Fanshawe's four-game win streak and sending them back to London.

Humber Highlights

• Humber improves to 56-22 all-time against Fanshawe. The Hawks are 25-9 at home against the Falcons.
• The Hawks rank fifth in the conference in steals per game with 14.8
• Humber ranks second in the OCAA in FG Pct with 38.7. Mohawk resides at the top with 41.4.
• Sarah Baptie leads the conference in steals with 41 in ten games played.

What's Next?

The Hawks will travel to Kitchener for a battle against the Conestoga Condors (3-5, 5^th West) on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at Conestoga Student Recreation Centre.