HAMILTON, Ont. - The Humber Hawks have won the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball championship for a record sixth time.
The Hawks, from Etobicoke, Ont., downed the Vancouver Island University Mariners from Nanaimo, B.C., 68-62 in the gold medal game in Hamilton, Ont. It was extremely tight contest from start to finish. Humber led 17-15 after the first quarter. The teams were tied 34-34 at the half, and Humber led 52-49 after three quarters.
The fourth quarter was a see-saw battle and it wasn't until just under 10 seconds remaining in regulation time when Humber knew they had the game and their seventh title, breaking a tie with Dawson College of Montreal for the most national championships in men's college hoops.
Vule Grujic, who was named most valuable player in the championship, scored 16 points for the Hawks in the game. Humber's Tyrone Dickson with eight points, 12 rebounds and four assists was named his team's player of the game.
Justin King scored 26 points to lead the VIU scoring but Jason Fortin was the Mariners player of the game with 14 points.
Grujic said the MVP award was secondary, that it was all about the team. "The coach called my number down the stretch and he felt confident in me scoring and let me have the ball and I just brought us there."
Humber head coach Shawn Collins said both teams competed really hard. "I thought it was going to be a defensive struggle. Both teams are athletic. Justin King is an unbelievable player and we had to slow him down as much as we could, control the boards and it would give us a chance to win down the stretch."
Earlier in the evening, Lethbridge won the bronze medal 106-92 over host Mohawk College.
CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS
Most Valuable Player
Vule Grujic (Humber)
First All-Star Team
Tyrone Dickson (Humber)
Matt Fennell (Mohawk)
Jason Fortin (VIU)
Chaz Johnson (Lethbridge)
Justin King (VIU)
Second All-Star Team
Travis Butt (Lethbridge)
Andrew Cicuttini (Mohawk)
Gibson Eduful (Humber)
Jitinder Lohcham (Langara)
Eamon Morrissy (Holland)
Fair Play Award
Chaz Johnson (Lethbridge)
Championship Website: www.ccaa.ca/national-championship-s15104
Championship Webcast: sportscanada.tv/ccaa/index.php/basketball/2015mbb
Source: Mohawk College