ETOBICOKE, Ont. - The Humber Hawks women's basketball team got
off to a rocky start, and even though they pushed back, were unable
to overcome the visiting Mohawk Mountaineers.
The game, which was played on Humber's home court, kicked off the
2011-12 OCAA basketball season.
Mohawk gets full credit for the 49-39 victory. They came out
strong, displaying great defence and solid shooting, as they led by
a score of 18-6 after the first quarter horn sounded.
Humber did respond by almost matching the Mohawk first quarter
push, takeing the second quarter 18-8. At the half the scoreboard
read Mohawk 26 and the Hawks 24.
The hometown Hawks actually took a lead in the third quarter, but
as the quarter ended Humber lost the 12 minute period by a 12-9
margin. After three quarters Mohawk was up by five.
In the fourth and final quarter Humber once again pushed back and
came within a single point of catching the Mountaineers as the
score flashed 38-37. Mohawk then scored the next 10 points to put
the game away.
Leading the winning Mohawk squad on the scoresheet was Rachel
Abella, as she was the only Mountaineer player in double figures,
with 11.
Humber's veteran star Kaitlynn Paulley led all scorers on the
night as she popped in 12 points, and was a perfect 4-for-4 from
the line.
"I was really impressed by how strong we were mentally," said
Mohawk head coach Kevin Duffy. "When they came back we didn't fold.
We regrouped, executed our plays and got back into a better flow on
offence. It was also an advantage to go deep into our bench as we
were much fresher at the end of the game, where Humber seemed to be
tiring."
"Randazzo was a huge spark for us off the bench. Unfortunately she
had to leave with an injury and we are hoping its not too serious,"
said Duffy. "Overall, its a great start to the season to get a win
against a team who we have had difficulty with and who we will be
battling with for a playoff spot."
Key stats on the night was Mohawk's shooting percentage, as
compared to Humber. Mohawks was 36.4 percent from the field and
27.3 percent from beyond the three-point arc. Humber was a weak
22.2 percent and 5.88 percent, respectively.
Kaitlynn Paulley, with her 12 points, was selected as the Humber
Player of the Game.
Source: Humber College with files from Mohawk College