MARQUEE MATCH-UP SET FOR #BellLetsTalk DAY
ETOBICOKE, Ont. – With a first round bye up for grabs, Wednesday nights matchup between the no. 7 Humber Hawks (9-2, 2nd West) and the no. 3 Niagara Knights (8-1, 3rd West) could be one of the most important games of the 2016-17 OCAA regular season.
#BellLetsTalk DAY
Wednesday is #BellLetsTalk day and every time you tweet or text using the hashtag, Bell will donate five cents towards Mental Health Awareness. Come out and support a great cause.
SENIORS NIGHT
Wednesday marks the final regular season home game for numerous Humber student-athletes. Gibson Eduful, Tyrone Dickson, and Ancil Martin are in their fifth and final season with Humber. In 2014-15, these student-athletes helped Humber win their CCAA best, sixth national championship, ending a 14-year drought.
LAST TIME OUT vs NIAGARA
In their first meeting this season, the Hawks blew a fourth quarter lead and lost to Niagara on the road 71-66. Humber scored a season-low eight points in the fourth as Niagara's Lequan Hylton finished with a game-high 22 points in the win.
STREAKING
Both Humber and Niagara enter this game riding eight-game winning streaks.
TRENDING
- With their win over Fanshawe (5-6, 4th West), the Hawks extended their win streak to a season-best eight consecutive games.
- The Hawks will be looking for their 17th consecutive win against Niagara at the Humber Athletic Centre.
- Tyrone Dickson (Scarborough), Humber's all-time leading rebounder, is averaging a league best 11.4 rebounds-per-game (third best average in the CCAA).
- Dickson has a team-best six double-doubles this season and 32 for his career.
- As a team, the Hawks have out-rebounded their opponents by a margin of 11.7 rebounds-per-game.
- Defensively, the Hawks allow a league-low 67.2 points-per-game, best in the association.
- Fifth-year point guard Gibson Eduful (Toronto) is currently ranked fourth in the OCAA, averaging five assists-per-game. Against Redeemer, Eduful became the first Humber men's basketball player to record 300 assists for a career.
SCOUTING NIAGARA
- After losing their season opener against no. 1 Sheridan (9-0, 1st West), the Knights have won eight consecutive games.
- Niagara defeated Mohawk (4-7, 6th West) at home 128-109, tying an OCAA record for most points in a single game by two teams. In the fourth quarter, both teams combined to score 83 points.
- The Knights' offence features former Northern Oklahoma Tonkawa Maverick (NJCAA) Van Hutchinson Jr., who is averaging 14.6 points this season (21st OCAA).
- When playing at the Humber Athletic Centre, the Hawks are 19-2 all-time, dating back to the 1978-79 season. Humber's last loss to Niagara at home was in February 1983, 74-44.
- All-time, Humber is 33-10 against Niagara in the regular season.
HAWKS HISTORY
- Humber's eight game win-streak is the longest streak during the Patrick Au era.
- Eduful and Dickson are now the second pair of teammates to play together with 750-plus career points, joining Hall of Famer George McNeil and Henry Frazer who accomplished the feat 30 years ago.
Updated scoring rankings:
Rnk | Player | Years | GP | PTS | PPG |
1 | Patrick Rhodd | 1989-93 | 69 | 1164 | 16.9 |
2 | George McNeil | 1984-87 | 75 | 1148 | 15.3 |
3 | Gibson Eduful | 2012 - | 83 | 776 | 9.3 |
4 | Tyrone Dickson | 2012 - | 67 | 774 | 11.6 |
5 | Clyde Walters | 1978-83 | 88 | 763 | 8.7 |
HAWKS SPORTS NETWORK
Wednesday's game will be live streamed on the Hawks Sports Network. Tip-off is set for 8pm.