No. 12 Women's Basketball rolls George Brown to open the postseason

By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE — No. 12 Humber women's basketball (15-2) cruised past the George Brown Huskies (3-12) with a dominant 92-39 win on Saturday evening at the Hawks' Nest. Fourth-year player Sarah Baptie wrote her name down in Humber's history book. Baptie set a new program record with eight steals in a postseason game, surpassing the previous mark of seven held by Humber legend and current head coach Ceejay Nofuente.

Game Recap

After both Humber men's and women's volleyball teams booked their tickets to the OCAA final four, it was time for Humber women's basketball to kick off their postseason run. The Hawks hosted the George Brown Huskies at the Nest, with the two teams entering the game on opposite ends of the regular season.

Humber finished the regular season on a high note, riding a four-game winning streak and securing nine victories in their final 10 games. Their offense was a powerhouse, led by shooting guard Kia Watt, who led the West Division in scoring with 307 points. In contrast, the Huskies struggled throughout the season, ending with a 3-11 record.

The first quarter tipped off with rookie Persia Martin-Brown driving to the paint, drawing a foul and converting the and-one from the free-throw line to put Humber on the board. The Hawks played physical defence in the paint, forcing the Huskies to rely on their beyond-the-arc shooting. The strategy proved effective as George Brown remained scoreless for the first three and a half minutes before finally cashing a three-pointer at 8-3. The Hawks would finish the quarter leading 18-12, with Martin-Brown scoring a third of the points.

The home team struggled early in the second quarter, only scoring two free throws in the first six minutes of play, while George Brown came out firing to close the gap to 19-17. Watt snapped the drought with a steal and layup, sparking the Hawks' offence. Kalani Thomas followed with a three from deep, and Humber found its rhythm, scoring 41 points in just over three minutes to take a 34-21 lead into halftime.

Humber returned from the break determined to take care of business, with Sarah Baptie quickly driving for a layup that would set the tone for the rest of the quarter. Baptie later rained down a deep three to extend the Hawks' lead to 20. Baptie and Watt had a magical quarter, combining for 15 points as Humber outscored the Huskies 28-9 to enter the final frame up 62-30.

With a comfortable lead, the Hawks played a clean fourth quarter. At the 7:33 mark, Baptie entered the game and made history. Number 15 needed just one minute and 25 seconds to record her eighth steal, breaking the program's postseason record of steals in a single game, previously held by current head coach Ceejay Nofuente.

Humber cruised the rest of the way, securing a dominant 92-39 win and advancing to the OCAA quarterfinals.

Sarah Baptie was named the Player of the Game, recording a game-high 20 points, four rebounds and a historic eight steals.

Humber Highlights

• Humber improves to 37-7 all-time against George Brown.
• The Hawks hold an 11-1 record in the last 12 postseason games.
• Humber improves to 20-6 all-time at home in the postseason.
• The Hawks have 10 straight postseason wins at the Nest, dating back to 2013.
• Sarah Baptie set a new program record with eight steals in a postseason game, surpassing the previous mark of seven scored by current head coach Ceejay Nofuente in 2018.
• Humber's 53-point victory was its second-largest over the Huskies. Humber beat George Brown 77-17 in the 1998 OCAA semifinal game.

What's next?

The Hawks are onto the quarterfinal round. Humber will welcome the Loyalist Lancers (11-4) on Sunday, Feb. 23. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be streamed live on the Hawks Sports Network.