HAGOPIAN BUZZER BEATER PUSHES HAWKS PAST ST. CLAIR, NOW 13-1
Winners of eight straight and with an opportunity to move within a half game of the Western Division's top spot, the Women's Basketball Team played host to the St. Clair Saints on Saturday night.
In the early going the Hawks were uncharacteristically coming up empty on good looks from beyond the arc. The OCAA's sixth best shooting team from deep had nine three points attempts in the first quarter, many of them open and resulting from quality ball movement, but hit just one. Trailing 9-5 after a Shannon Kennedy triple, Humber shifted focus, attempting to work the ball into the post and attack the rim. Combo guard Melissa Szilagyi made a pretty move down the wing, getting mauled at the basket without a call. Depsite the team's struggles to find the net, solid defensive effort and strong work on the boards from Llyandra Kerr and Ceejay Nofuente had the home side trailing by just four at the end of one.
The second quarter saw a complete reversal of fortune for the Hawks from beyond the arc, as Nofuente and Natalie Hagopian combined to connect on three triples in the early going. St. Clair moved into a zone defense to try to stem the perimeter attack, but Hagopian's second three of the quarter put the Saints back into man. Shannon Kennedy continued to keep the visitors offense humming, as her thirteenth point of the game gave the Saints a two point lead. With time running out in the quarter, Llyandra Kerr re-asserted herself in the paint as the Hawks returned to working the ball inside. Nice entry passes from Szilagyi and Asare led to a pair of free throws and bucket, and at the half the home side held a slim 30-29 lead.
Kerr picked up where she left off to start the third, earning two offensive boards on the Hawks first possession of the half and finishing inside. St. Clair moved into a zone for the second time, and this time it proved more effective. Humber continued to pound the offensive boards, but were unable to convert the second chance opportunities; Kennedy's third triple of the night had things knotted at 37. The Hawks ball movement picked up as the quarter neared an end, and great passing from Aleena Domingo and Natalie Hagopian led to a wide open long ball from Amber Bechard. At the end of three, Humber held a six point advantage, 47-41.
Their seemed to be a seal around the rim for Humber throughout much of the fourth quarter, as the lead was trimmed to one with four minutes to go; in the quarters first six minutes, the Hawks had only one made field goal. Shannon Kennedy continued to score at will, and her deep triple gave the Saints their first advantage since early in the third, 51-49. Meighen Boyd, the Saints secondary scorer throughout the night, pushed the lead to four with a nice up-and-under, and suddenly it looked as though the game may be falling out of reach for a Hawks team unable to score.
Ceejay Nofuente, as she has so many times this year, was huge down the stretch, hitting a three on the Hawks next possession. After a stop, Mary Asare was hacked down low and nailed both freebies to put the Hawks back in the lead. The Saints would draw a foul of their own, and a split pair of free throws had the game tied at 54 with just thirteen seconds to go. Humber spread the court, and some crisp movement led to a Mary Asare three from the left corner as time ran down; the shot was just off, and as the ball soared into the air it appeared overtime would be necessary. Sneaking in from the wing, Natalie Hagopian somehow managed to time her jump perfectly and in one smooth motion put the ball back up as the buzzer sounded – nothing but net as the horn went off. The referee's declared she got it off on time, and Humber had their ninth consecutive victory and closest win of the year.
For her effort on both the game winner and throughout the night, Natalie Hagopian was named Player of the Game. The Hawks will be back in action on Sunday afternoon, hosting Cambrian at 1pm.
For full season standings, statistics, schedules and more please visit http://ocaa.com/sports/wbkb/2014-15/standings-include.
