Bechard Delivers at the Buzzer as Humber Takes Down Sheridan, 64-63
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sheridan (9-10, 9-10) | 15 | 3 | 24 | 21 | 63 |
|
Humber (18-1, 18-1) | 18 | 19 | 8 | 19 | 64 |
ETOBICOKE — The No. 8 Humber women's basketball team concluded the regular season in thrilling fashion, defeating the Sheridan Bruins (9-9, 6th West) Thursday evening at the North Campus Gym, 64-63.
It was a storybook ending on seniors night, as both graduating athletes Jahnae Gyles and Amber Bechard delivered in the closing stages for Humber in the win. Gyles finished with 15 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Bechard ended the night with seven points, four rebounds, one steal and one block, while delivering the game-winning basket.
Miea Campbell-Johnson continued her strong play to end the season, picking up her third straight double-double and fifth on the season. MCJ finished the night with a career-high 15 rebounds to go along with 15 points, three blocks, two steals and one assist.
The defence was the key for both sides in the opening quarter, as both teams shot under 30 percent from the field. Humber struggled with the ball in the first, turning it over a game-high ten times in the quarter. Both Jahnae Gyles and Ivana Twumasi had strong opening quarters, finishing with six and five points respectively.
The Hawks completely shut down the Bruins offence in the second quarter, holding them to just one made basket as they went one-of-17 (5.9 percent) from the field. Humber did a terrific job of breaking down the Bruins zone in the second, as they settled for far less jumpers than in the first. Felicia Velasquez delivered the exclamation point to end the half knocking down a half-court shot at the buzzer to give the Hawks a 19-point lead at the break.
Humber's lead quickly shrank as the Bruins came out hot to begin the third. Sheridan opened things up on a 17-5 run, forcing Coach Ajay Sharma to take a timeout with the Hawks lead now just seven. Humber failed to recapture the momentum as the Bruins ended the quarter down by just three, outscoring Humber by 16 in the third.
Sheridan finished off their comeback in the fourth, taking their first lead of the game with just over six minutes left to play the score now, 51-50. Humber quickly answered back thanks to the work of Miea Campbell-Johnson, as she delivered five straight points giving the Hawks back the lead.
It was a crazy final two-minutes in this matchup as both sides delivered huge baskets down the stretch. Down by two with just under 30 seconds to play Jahnae Gyles sent the Humber Gym into a frenzy, knocking down a three with just 8.8 seconds left to give Humber a one-point lead. A Humber foul on the next possession, followed by two made free throws gave Sheridan back the lead now with just 4.9 seconds to play and no timeouts. Off the inbound Gyles quickly pushed the ball down the floor to Bechard who delivered the layup in traffic at the buzzer, giving Humber the 64-63 win.
Game Notes
- The Hawks clinched the division title for the sixth time in the Coach Sharma era.
- Miea Campbell-Johnson finishes her 2019-20 season with 266 points, good for ninth-best all-time for Humber.
- MCJ's 728 career-points puts her at seventh all-time for a Humber player.
- Jahnae Gyles concludes her Humber career with 749 points good for the fifth-most all-time.
- Gyles 44 three-pointers on the season are good for the fourth-most all-time for Humber.
- With the win Humber sweeps their season series against Sheridan going 2-0.
What's Next?
No. 8 Humber women's basketball (17-1, 1st West) will now host a 2020 crossover game on Feb. 29 at the North Campus Gym. Game time and the opponent have yet to be determined.
