The Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team returned to the court this weekend after 77 days off with two games against the Laurentian Voyageurs in Sudbury, Ont., losing their first game 61-59 on Friday but bouncing back Saturday with a 69-39 win.
The loss was Carleton’s second of the season and drops them to third place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East division.
Friday’s game was tight from the beginning, with the teams remaining close in points until the very end. The Ravens struggled defensively, letting in many shots from the Voyageurs and forcing only a few successful turnovers.
Head coach Dani Sinclair said the team needs to work on playing together as “one group of five” to be able to have more success defensively. When the team did work together, they created turnovers and got easy baskets on the other end.
“Defence-wise, we showed spurts where we were able to cause some turnovers and take away what [the Voyageurs] were trying to do,” Sinclair said. “We just didn’t do it for long enough stretches.”
Since their last game on Nov. 27, 2021—a 100-68 win over the York Lions—the Ravens have been through a lot. The OUA postponed games due to the spread of the Omicron variant and provincial restrictions required even more games to be postponed.
In the 77 days between games, the team has had a combination of online and in-person practices. The break has been challenging for all involved.
“Tonight, it wasn’t the prettiest basketball game,” Sinclair said Friday. “What matters more is that you’re playing good team defence and being the tougher, more resilient team and I think Laurentian just showed that they were that tonight, more than we were.”
The Ravens regained their strength for their second game, taking the lead early and maintaining it throughout their play.
The goal for the team moving forward is to be able to play more consistently, Sinclair said.
“It almost makes [Friday’s] loss even more disappointing because you know that you’re capable of much more,” Sinclair said. “[We are] happy but not content because we have lots of work to do to be able to play consistently like that.”
The Ravens will face the uOttawa Gee-Gees on Feb. 18 at the Ravens’ Nest for the annual Capital Hoops game. Due to COVID-19, there will be no fans in attendance.
The game will be the first between Carleton and uOttawa since Feb. 22, 2020, when the Ravens lost 57-48 in the quarterfinals of the OUA playoffs.
“There’s a lot of anticipation,” Sinclair said. “That’ll grow as the week goes on. But our focus is [on] just having a good week of practice and getting ready for a good battle.”
Featured image provided by John Sabourin/Action Event Photos.
