Dominant home victory for No. 5 Women's Basketball over No. 8 Lambton

By: Isabelle Ferrante
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE – No. 5 Humber women's basketball (6-0, 1st West) beat the No. 8 Lambton Lions (5-1, 2nd West) convincingly Sunday afternoon at the North Campus Gym, 71-59. It was a dominant performance by the Hawks, with Humber taking charge right from tip-off. Facing off against the second-highest ranked team in the province, the Hawks showed why they are the top team in the league, extending their win streak to six to begin the season.

Toronto native Kia Watt recorded a double-double, finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while senior Kayah Clarke was named player of the game for Humber after she recorded 17 points and 13 rebounds. 

Game Recap

The Hawks came out firing from the opening tip-off, starting their dominant performance with a quick 14-4 run to begin the game. Nationally ranked for the first time in program history, the Lions would not roll over for powerhouse Humber. Morgan Goffer came off the bench for the Lions to create an instant spark, dropping nine points in the frame to tie the game at 20-20. In the quarter's final minute, Kia Watt hit a three-pointer to put Humber up by one after ten minutes of play.

The Hawks continued to add to their lead with a strong second quarter. After going back and forth early, the Hawks would finally take charge.  Turnovers and missed shots by the Lions allowed the home team to capitalize and put Lambton in the rear-view mirror, going on another dominating 10-3 scoring run with the help of Kia Watt. Watt totalled 11 points in the frame and propelled her team to outscore the Lions 20-11 in the quarter.  As the buzzer sounded, the Hawks went into the break with a ten-point lead, 43-33.

Second-half adjustments by Lambton allowed the Lions to claw back into the game, as their defence forced the Hawks into six turnovers and five-for-17 (29.4 per cent) shooting from the floor in the third quarter. Despite only scoring 13 points in the third quarter, Humber's defence was equally as impressive, holding the Lions to 26.3 per cent (five-of-19) shooting - maintaining an eight-point lead heading in to the final quarter.

Marley Bonnick and Sarah Baptie made up most of Humber's offence in the final quarter, combining for 11 of Humber's 15 points as the Hawks cruised to their sixth win of the season, 71-59.

Humber Highlights

• Humber's 71 points were the most allowed against the Lions this season.
• Head coach Ajay Sharma is now one win away from 200 career victories.
• Kayah Clarke recorded her first career double-double with the Hawks.
• Kia Watt's 11 rebounds were a new career-high.

What's Next

No. 5 Humber will conclude its three-game homestand on Nov. 26 against the Redeemer Royals (2-4, 7th West). Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will be streamed live on the Hawks Sports Network.