Late rally extends No. 2 Men's Basketball win streak
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fanshawe (4-9, 4-9) | 17 | 13 | 14 | 18 | 62 |
|
Humber (14-0, 14-0) | 15 | 15 | 13 | 22 | 65 |
By: William Shoukri
Humber Athletics Communications
ETOBICOKE - No. 2 Humber men's basketball (14-0, 1st West) won a nail-biter home on Saturday 65-62 against Fanshawe (4-9, 7th West). After trailing for more than 35 minutes, Humber came together in the final minutes of the fourth to win in dramatic fashion. Isaiah Brady-Clarke was the player of the game for Humber, scoring nine points and adding four rebounds. Adrian Aluyi was also fantastic, scoring 11 and adding a team-high seven rebounds.
Game Recap
It wasn't the Hawks' best game, but certainly not their worst; it was somewhere in between. What we saw from Humber on Saturday was that even when the Hawks aren't at their best, it may still be better than the rest.
Humber's first quarter was… okay. It wasn't a bad quarter by any stretch of the imagination (although a last-minute collapse could certainly lead you to believe otherwise) but when you're 13-0 and ranked second in the nation, standards are high.
Humber excelled on the defensive end. The Hawks used their length and positioning to create turnovers, and their dynamic movement caused trouble for Fanshawe on both ends of the court.
But the shots weren't falling. Humber went 0-3 from beyond the arc and shot just 35 per cent from the field in the first quarter, resulting in the Hawks scoring a mere 15 points.
Humber trailed 17-15 after the first, one of their lowest-scoring quarters this season.
Humber continued its late-quarter struggles from the first into the second. The offence was bone-dry and Humber just couldn't seem to get going. Defensively Humber was fantastic. The Hawks might not have been scoring points but the Falcons weren't either. The teams combined for less than 30 points in the quarter.
Humber would go into halftime with a boost. The Hawks dramatically tied the game with Victoire Ndongo banking a buzzer-beating three at the end of the half.
Beyond that silver lining was a dark cloud, though. That three-pointer was Humber's first of the day; the squad had gone 0-9 prior to the shot and were shooting 30 per cent from the field. What was maybe even more worrying, though, was that Humber was an abysmal 39 per cent from the free throw line (7/18).
With the third quarter came more offensive woes for Humber. Once again, the Hawks were rock solid defensively but couldn't get anything through offensively. Fanshawe got out to an early lead in the quarter, and Humber spent the back half of the second trying to even things up.
Humber wouldn't get even but would get close. The Hawks trailed 44-43 after three quarters of play.
At the beginning of the fourth Humber's play made one thing clear… it was time to dig deep.
The Hawks out-hustled Fanshawe, scrambling for rebounds and contesting everything. Humber focused on the little things and that's when the success started.
Humber put together a 9-0 run to take a six-point lead - its largest of the game so far. Adrian Aluyi initially gave the Hawks life, scoring four clutch points and bringing in two rebounds during the 9-0 stretch.
Jalen Menzies had struggled until now, dealing with doubles teams all night. Menzies splashed a three, then he stole the ball and ran it the other way, drawing a foul and converting two free throws to put Humber up 61-55.
With 2:30 left in the quarter Fanshawe took a timeout. They had led for more than thirty minutes and now, in the game's final minutes, were staring at a six point deficit.
Leading by three with ten seconds remaining, Adrin Aluyi came up with an incredible block, robbing the Falcons of an easy bucket.
The Hawks won this one 65-62, their lowest scoring win all season long. More than that, though, Humber made a statement. In a game where they trailed for 35 minutes, the Hawks refused to give up or give in, despite playing in their fourth game in seven days. They stayed emotionally strong and beat the fifth-best defensive team in the OCAA.
Humber Highlights
- Humber is now 60-25 all-time against Fanshawe, dating back to 1975.
- Humber owns the longest winning streak in the OCAA (14 straight W's).
- Humber leads the OCAA in offensive rebounds per game, averaging 47.8.
- Humber leads the OCAA West in blocks per game, averaging 4.9.
- Humber has not lost a regular season game since January 20, 2024.
What's Next?
No. 2 Men's basketball will face off against Conestoga (5-8, 6th West) on Wednesday January 22, at the Hawks Nest. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 PM and you can catch the action live on the Hawks Sports Network.
