MEN'S BASKETBALL STAYS HOT; DEFEATS TENTH RANKED NIAGARA
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Niagara | 9 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 76 |
|
Humber | 20 | 23 | 20 | 22 | 85 |
By: Eugenio Garro
ETOBICOKE, ON: In front of a packed house, the Humber College men's basketball team put the entire OCAA on notice Wednesday night. The defending national champions, behind Gibson Eduful's career-high 29 points, defeated the Niagara Knights 85-76.
The last game for the Hawks against their rivals, the Sheridan Bruins, went down to the wire as Sheridan missed a game winning layup at the buzzer to give the Hawks a 57-56 victory, knocking off the CCAA's second ranked program.
Wednesday night, the Hawks were up against another top ranked team, as the Knights were sitting tenth in the national standings.
The second quarter was much the same, as Humber continued to stay in front with great finishing around the rim. It wasn't until the end of the second quarter that Niagara got hot and hit a few clutch shots to stay within reach. Both teams headed to their dressing rooms with the score being 43-31 in favour of Humber.
Both teams came out exchanging baskets in the third however everything Niagara seemed to throw at the basket went in and Humber's offence dried up, bringing the Knights back into the game. The Hawks picked up their offence at the end of the third quarter and went into the fourth, leading by ten.
Much like the third quarter, Niagara continued their hot shooting and hit some big shots as Humber struggled to find an answer. A late three pointer from freshman Alex Elliot brought the Knights within four points, however Humber's veteran student-athlete's stepped up to close out the game. Fourth-year power forward David Stephens answered with a clutch three of his own, cementing back-to-back upsets for Humber College.
In his first game of the season, Ancil Martin recorded 13 points for Humber, while Brayden Gohn added 11 of his own.
With the win, Humber jumps into a tie with Niagara for fourth place in the tough OCAA West Division. Humber is now 33-9 all-time against Niagara, dating back to 1978.
The Hawks will now play one more regular season game before Christmas break, when they host the 2-5 Redeemer Royals on December 3rd. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 8:00pm.
