Keaton Robbins
SPORTS REPORTER

The Humber men’s basketball team demolished the nation’s 13th ranked Niagara Knights 80-50 on Dec. 2.

Although the first quarter was close, a strong Hawks defence shut down the Knights. By half time, the Hawks held a commanding lead of 37-15.

Going into the game, the Knights were 7-1 and sitting atop the OCAA west standings, but now the Hawks find themselves in a three-way tie with Fanshawe and Niagara for first in the division.

Hawks head coach Shawn Collins said it’s just another regular season game.

“Niagara has had a really good start to their season,” he said. “They’ve beat Fanshawe at home by 30, and came back from 20 to beat Algoma in overtime.”

Collins said home court advantage played a huge part in the Hawk’s dismantling of one of the best teams in the west division.

“I think this season will be determined by who wins the most games on the road,” Collins said. “Hopefully our road record gets a little bit better because we’ve already dropped two on the road.”

On top of playing strong defence, Humber’s offence was electric. Mike Dvorak led Humber with 21 points and Akeem Sween had 11 points.

Dvorak, point guard, 23, a fifth-year sports management student, said the Hawks were well prepared to play the top team.

“We were mentally focused and our defence really overwhelmed them early on,” said Dvorak. “Niagara couldn’t do anything on offence tonight, and we jumped out with an early lead.”
Sween, guard, 24, said Humber was hungry to take back the top spot in OCAA and was more prepared than the Knights.

“Our defense was really clicking tonight,” said Sween, a fourth-year food and beverage student. “Usually we don’t play to our potential, but it all started with our hard work without the ball.”

The Hawks now have a couple weeks off for exams and Christmas and Sween said winning their last game before the break is crucial.

“We now have a break to rest our bodies, recover from injuries and continue after the break.”