No. 1 HAWKS OPEN UP DEFENCE OF TITLE ON THURSDAY
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Clair ( ) | 12 | 15 | 6 | 17 | 50 |
|
Humber ( ) | 11 | 22 | 13 | 22 | 68 |
| Game Info | Hawks vs. St. Clair |
| Date | Thursday, March 2 |
| Time | 1 p.m. |
| Venue | Newnham Campus |
| Stream | WATCH LIVE |
THE STORYLINE
The No. 1 Humber women's basketball program earned the first-seed in the OCAA Championships after finishing with a perfect 18-0 regular season record for the second consecutive year and will be making its ninth straight postseason appearance. In its quarter-final matchup, the Hawks will play the St. Clair Saints, who finished 12-6 and fifth overall in the west division.
LAST TIME OUT vs ST. CLAIR
As west division foes, these two programs meet twice a year and are very familiar with one another. This year the Hawks swept the season series and outscored the Saints by an average of 30 points in those two meetings. All-time, the Hawks are 15-11 against St. Clair, including 2-1 in postseason play.
Last year, Humber met the Saints in the quarter-final as well and escaped with a close 90-81 victory. The Hawks held a 13-point lead at half but former player of the year Shannon Kennedy cut into the Hawks' lead with multiple three's but her team-high 23 points wasn't enough for the Saints. Ceejay Nofuente finished with 25 points, while Felicia Velasquez had a game-high 10 assists.
SCOUTING ST. CLAIR
- After finishing fifth in the OCAA west division, the Saints advanced to the championship tournament after a 66-63 win over the Durham. Shannon Kennedy finished with a game-high 22 points in the win.
- The Saints have lost four of its last six games.
- Offensively, St. Clair is led by Shannon Kennedy, the 2014-15 OCAA scoring champion.
- Leah Beeler is 10th in the OCAA in assists per game, averaging 3.4.
- Nicole Tamm leads the conference in blocks, averaging 1.9 per game.
- 80 per cent of St. Clair's field goals were of the two-point variety. The Saints finished 14th in three-point field goals made with 68.
STREAKING
- The Hawks have won an OCAA record 42 consecutive CCAA regular and postseason games.
- Humber has also won 55 consecutive OCAA regular and postseason games, the second longest streak in conference history. The Algonquin Thunder won 67 consecutive OCAA games from November 5, 2011 until January 15, 2015.
TRENDING
- The Hawks became the first program to score 1,500 points in OCAA history.
- Humber outscored its opponents by an average of 34.2 ppg, best in the OCAA.
RECORD SETTING
- All-Canadian Ceejay Nofuente set new league records for steals (101) and assists (124).
- Nofuente also became Humber's single-season scoring champion (394) and all-time leading scorer (905) this season.
- Chioma Oriuwa ends her career as Humber's all-time leading rebounder with 521.
- Aleena Domingo tied her career-high with 240 points and sits second all-time on Humber's career scoring list (806).
POLL POSITION
After winning the first national championship in OCAA history, the Hawks have been the top-ranked program in the country all season long.
ON THE SIDELINES
Head coach Ajay Sharma now has 110 wins at the helm of the women's basketball program and remains 21 wins behind Denise Perrier for most all-time.
LIVESTREAM
The entire OCAA championship will be live streamed courtesy of Seneca College athletics and can be found here.
