Titans Top Halifax
March 10, 2020 - National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada)
KW Titans News Release
The KW Titans gave the Halifax Hurricanes all they could handle inside the Aud on Sunday in what was their second game in less than 24 hours.
The game got off to a slow start in this one but it was the fan favourite, Nigel Tyghter (16 points, 10 rebounds) who got us on the board with the first points of the game.
The two teams were not giving up an inch on defense and both squads struggled to get anything to fall early on.
The Hurricanes' Joel Kindred shocked the crowd of nearly 2,500 of Titans fans with a fast-break alley-oop slam to tie the game up at four but not long after that, Damon Lynn (28 points, six assists) splashed a three-pointer home for KW in the race to getting double-figures on the scoreboard. Right after that, Jonathan Harris (nine points, five rebounds) drove down the baseline and slammed the ball through the hoop as hard as he could, getting the fans out of their seats with a dunk of his own.
The building was particularly lively in this one and the home team really fed off of their supporters' cheers.
Joel Friesen (15 points, five rebounds) checked in the game and quickly iced a three in his defenders face.
Halifax was attempting to punch back but were clearly beaten in the first quarter and it was Friesen again who ended the period on a high note with an easy buzzer-beater layup as time expired.
The second quarter saw things getting a little chippy on the floor as Halifax's Jordan Washington (18 points, seven rebounds) put his strength on full display and the forward's physicality allowed the Hurricanes to get themselves back in the game.
Washington and Justin Moss (10 points) got themselves into a very physical matchup and continued to battle back and forth throughout the quarter.
Shortly after, another one of KW's strong men in Tyghter, bullied his way in the paint for a nasty put-back slam. Tyghter showed his willingness to put his body on the line again on the following possession and took a charge to secure the ball for the Titans once more.
The Hurricanes showed the Titans that they had a tough matchup on their hands in this one and made things difficult for the home team but Lynn got the last laugh of the half with another three-point bomb that gave KW the advantage going into the intermission as the Titans led 52-50 after 24 minutes of play.
The third quarter was another slugfest as both teams took turns taking the lead early on. Halifax's Jordan Washington and Moss were going at it again but the Titans came out on top.
Lynn caught fire again scoring 13 points and was flawless from the field and the line with a true shooting percentage of 100% in the third quarter.
KW was beginning to carve this one out for themselves and went into the fourth leading the Hurricanes by six.
The fourth quarter was one for the books as the Titans put their foot on the gas and went for it. The team was playing with amazing energy and that in addition to the homecourt advantage the fans were providing, had the Titans looking like they weren't willing to let this one slide.
The team quickly opened up a 10 point lead and then out of nowhere Olu Famutimi (12 points, four rebounds) caught a wild layup attempt from Moss out of midair and slammed it home.
The crowd was jumping out of their seats and the Titans 10 point lead quickly turned into a 20 point lead with no warning.
Famutimi was on fire in the fourth, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers and the game was now clearly in the bag.
Despite the Hurricanes' best efforts in mounting a comeback, Julian Harris (two points) delivered the final blow and connected on the dagger as he drained his only make of the game with a clean mid-range jumper to seal the deal.
The Titans defeated Halifax with ease in this one and came away with their second victory of the weekend as they took out the Hurricanes 117-100 at the end of regulation.
Head coach Cavell Johnson was thrilled with his team's energy after the win.
"It was good to be home yesterday and get a win in front of our home crowd and grind it out and put a full game together," Johnson said. "The guys came in here [after they] lost an hour of sleep last night on an afternoon game on a back-to-back, but they came in here with high energy, big-time energy, ready to support one another and everyone that stepped on the floor today was ready to go."
The Titans have now won three of their last four and have another five home games coming up.
The Titans will host the St. John's Edge on Thursday inside the Aud once again.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 pm.
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National Basketball League of Canada Stories from March 10, 2020
- Edge Have Some Decisions Ahead of Friday's Deadline - St. John's Edge
- Titans Top Halifax - KW Titans
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