Women's Basketball opens second half with win over Redeemer

By: William Shoukri
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE - On Saturday afternoon, Humber women's basketball (6-3, 5th West) won a closer-than-expected game against the Redeemer Royals (2-8, 7th West). The Hawks came away with the 71-58 win but struggled against a team they had beaten by almost 60 a couple of weeks earlier. Kia Watt led the way for the Hawks with 23 points and ten rebounds. Katherine Khorovets added 11 points of her own, while Nicole Chateau added a team-high four assists.

Game Recap

The Hawks came into Saturday's matchup looking to start the second half of the season with a dominant performance. After starting the quarter on a 6-0 run and showing dominance on both ends of the court, Humber's confidence began to get the best of them. Redeemer took advantage of sloppy plays defensively and created a closer game than Humber had expected. The Hawks would end the first quarter with a slim 18-12 lead, going just 7-23 from the field and leaving Redeemer feeling like they may have a chance. 

After a heated talk from head coach Ajay Sharma between quarters, Humber came into the second intent to change the storyline. Redeemer would refuse to back down, though, playing a tight perimeter game and forcing the Hawks to take contested shots from range. The taller Redeemer team kept the paint clear and limited any shots from in close. Redeemer would tie the game at 21 with six minutes left in the quarter. Humber would regain their lead shortly after, finally bearing down and creating turnovers with pressure-focused defence. The Hawks would go into halftime leading 39-31. Kia Watt would lead the Hawks with ten points, but it was a team effort offensively, with scoring coming from all through the lineup. 

Coming into the second half, the Hawks had one goal in mind: get the game out of reach for Redeemer. The Hawks would do a good job expanding their lead, getting to 20, but once again, Redeemer would refuse to give in and go on a short run to cut the lead down. The third quarter would end 54-43 in favour of Humber. 

Both teams came out of the break relatively low on energy. The three-quarters of back-and-forth basketball had taken its toll on the athletes. Humber settled into a groove and played confident zone defence for the first time. Redeemer had no response for the Hawk's second push and quickly faltered under the pressure of a comfortable team in its system. Humber wouldn't dominate the final minutes but would keep the Royals at bay, leaving with a 71-58 win. Kia Watt was the player of the game, scoring 23 points and adding ten rebounds. 

Humber Highlights

• Humber remains undefeated against Redeemer, improving to 47-0 all-time.
• Kia Watt recorded her third double-double of the season and is currently fourth in the OCAA in scoring.
• Humber extends its win streak to four consecutive games, improving to 5-0 at home this season.

What's Next? 

Humber will travel to Kitchener to face the Conestoga Condors (2-8, 8th West) on Jan. 17. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM, and you can catch the action on OCAA Live.