MOHAWK 49, HUMBER 39 (FINAL)

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