HAWKS WIN BOTH EXHIBITION GAMES AS THEY PREP FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON
ETOBICOKE, ON: With more than a month off between OCAA league play, the Humber Hawks women's basketball team hosted two exhibition games over the weekend. The reigning provincial champions were looking to shake off the rust from the long break before entering the second half of the regular season.
On Saturday, January 2nd, the Hawks played host to the St. Lawrence Vikings, a team that has dropped three straight OCAA games.
This game was a rematch from the 2014 OCAA bronze medal semi-final game that saw the Vikings win 55-49 and sent the Hawks home after an outstanding 16-2 regular season campaign. After holding the Vikings to 27 points in the first three quarters, Humber allowed St. Lawrence to score 28 in the fourth quarter. In second-year with the Hawks at the time, Thornhill native Natalie Hagopian led the team offensively, finishing with 13 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
Right from tip-off the Hawks controlled the pace of the game, outscoring the Vikings 23-8 in the opening frame. As the game progressed, Humber extended their lead to as much as 28 points, before finishing the exhibition game with 79-56 win. Playing the most dominant basketball of career, third-year guard Ceejay Nofuente has become a triple threat on the court. The Toronto native recorded her second triple-double of the 2015-16 season, a feat she flirts with every time she steps on the hardwood. The OCAA all-star finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists.
The following day at the Humber Athletic Centre, the Hawks played another exhibition game, this time against the CCAA's eighth ranked program, the Algonquin Thunder. Entering the game, the Thunder were sitting in first place in the OCAA East Division with a 6-1 record.
These two programs faced off last season in the OCAA Championship semi-final, a game the Hawks narrowly won 58-55. In her third-year with the Hawks, Kingston native Atissa Cronk recorded a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds on her way to being named an OCAA championship all-star.
In this game, the Hawks trailed the Thunder by three at half and saw their unbeaten 2015-16 record was in jeopardy of ending. After an inspiring half-time speech from fifth-year head coach Ajay Sharma, the Hawks came out soaring in the third, outscoring the Thunder by 11 points and taking the lead.
In the end, the Hawks were able to hold on and win 70-65 and were able to shake off the rust from the long holiday break lay-off. Nofuente once again flirted with a triple-double, ending the game with 28 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists. Fifth-year forward Llyandra Kerr finished with 16 points and nine boards as well.
The Hawks will now have a week off before they begin the second leg of the OCAA regular season when they host the Mohawk Mountaineers (7-2) on January 13th.
