Overtime thriller sends Men's Basketball to national championship final
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
SAIT (1-1, 1-0) | 19 | 12 | 22 | 20 | 6 | 79 |
|
Humber (2-0, 1-0) | 17 | 17 | 14 | 25 | 8 | 81 |
ETOBICOKE – The Humber men's basketball team punched its ticket to the CCAA national championship game, defeating the SAIT Trojans (18-3, 2nd ACAC) Saturday evening at the North Campus Gym, 81-79
Kevin Otoo has had a terrific postseason run for Humber and tonight was no different. The OCAA Championship MVP put up a double-double with a game-high 26 points and 10 rebounds. Frank Mitchell grabbed another double-double on 16 points and 20 rebounds, while DeQuon Cascart and Dwayne Lambert-Cadore rounded out the double-digit scorers for Humber finishing with 19 and 12 points, respectively.
It was a back-and-forth opening half in front of a raucous North Campus crowd. Both teams matched the intensity on the defensive end in the first half, forcing each other into tough looks all half. Cascart helped spark his side, picking up two charge calls late in the half and capping it off by converting a layup before the break, giving Humber a three-point lead, after 20 minutes of action.
After falling behind in the third, Humber came out strong to open the final frame, quickly tying things up. With time running out, the Hawks led by just one point with less than 24 seconds to play and the ball to inbound, but the Trojans forced the turnover and converted the and-one play to take a two-point lead. With one final look, Kevin Otoo answered for Humber making the last basket to send the game into overtime.
The Hawks struck first in the overtime, with Dwayne Lambert-Cadore knocking down a three to give his team the lead. After SAIT responded, Cascart drilled a jumper to give Humber a two-point lead with under 24 seconds to go.
Looking for the win, SAIT curled to the far side to shoot a three-pointer, but Frank Mitchell sent the attempt into the crowd with just 2.2 seconds left to go. The Trojan's next attempt came up short at the buzzer and Humber came out on top in an instant classic.
Humber Highlights
- Humber is now 5-0 all-time when hosting the national championship.
- Kevin Otoo is averaging 26.8 points per game during the Hawks' postseason run.
- Humber improves to 1-1 in overtime games at the big dance.
- Frank Mitchell is averaging 17 rebounds per game for Humber in the postseason.
What's Next?
No. 3 Humber will now host the St. Clair Saints in the CCAA National Championship Game on March 27. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. and will be streamed live on the Hawks Sports Network.
