OSHAWA, Ont. - The Durham College men's basketball team defeated the visiting Algonquin Thunder in their home finale by a final score of 84-77 on Sunday afternoon at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre.

The Lords finish the regular season in third place in the OCAA east division with a 14-6 record, qualifying to host an OCAA crossover, which will see the winner advance to the OCAA championship. Durham will match up with the Fanshawe Falcons for the third year in a row as the opponents from London finished fifth in the OCAA west division with a 13-7 record this year. DC last qualified for the OCAA championship in 2015, winning provincial bronze on home court after defeating the St. Lawrence Vikings 66-51 for the third step on the podium on March 8, 2015.

In the Sunday afternoon clash with the Thunder, DC carried a slim two-point lead after the first quarter, but utilized a slow pace of play and strong offensive efforts from graduating senior Brandon Halliburton (Brampton, Ont.) and third-year forward Dondre Huggins (Scarborough, Ont.). The pair each played over 30 minutes in the regular season finale, combining for 51 of the Lords 84 points scored on the afternoon.

With three consecutive wins to close the season, and winning 10 of their last 11 games, the Lords have all the momentum necessary to book their ticket to the OCAA championship, hosted by Georgian College from Feb. 28 to Mar. 2. The Saturday, Feb. 23 playoff clash with Fanshawe will tip off at 8 p.m. at the CRWC.  
 

FROM THE FLOOR

• Brandon Halliburton ends the regular season seventh in the province with a 22.2 points per game average this season after knocking down 31 points in his third 30-plus scoring game of the season. 
• Returning to the Lords lineup following the fall semester, Dondre Huggins has been a spark to DC's offence scoring 20 points. In nine games played during the second semester, Huggins has failed to reach double-digit points only once.
• Battling from behind for a majority of the game, four different Thunder players reached double-digit points, led by 13 from Daoud Soukary.
 

IN THE PAINT

• A beast on the boards, first-year athlete Craig Hanson (Ajax, Ont.) pulled down 19 rebounds, including a season-high 10 offensive rebounds.
• Along with shining on the offensive end, Huggins was a valiable piece to the Lords defence, recording three blocks and a steal.
• In 20 minutes off the bench, Anthony Rennie grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, eight of which came off the offensive glass, to go along with 10 points scored.
 

QUICK LOOK AT THE LORDS

Overall Record: 18-9
Conference Record: 14-6
 
Next game: Saturday, Feb. 23 vs. Fanshawe Falcons • 8 p.m. - Campus Recreation & Wellness Centre

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