The Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team came out on top in the Bytown Battle against the University of Ottawa (U of O) Gee-Gees, after outscoring them 81-40.
The win places Carleton in sole possession of first place in the Ontario University Athletics North division, and extends their undefeated start to the season with 10 straight wins.
The first quarter of the game was an impressive showing from Carleton’s defence as the Ravens only allowed four points against.
Ravens forward Ryan Ejim was a strong component of the Ravens’ defence, as he grabbed three defensive rebounds in the opening quarter.
The Gee-Gees offence was not able to get going in the first, as they put up a lackluster 7.1 per cent shooting percentage.
The second quarter was much of the same as the Ravens went into halftime leading 35-17.
Ravens guard Connor Wood was an important component of the Ravens’ offensive play throughout the half as he led the way with 16 points.
“He’s been a much better leader in the second half of the year . . . He’s a tough guy to play against,” said Ravens head coach Dave Smart following the win.
The forward pair of Eddie Ekiyor and Ejim were strong around the net, having a combined seven rebounds.
Although the Gee-Gees were able to put up 13 points in the second quarter, they were not able to halt the Carleton offence and were forced to call two timeouts in an attempt to slow down momentum.
After the halftime break, Carleton did not let up on the gas—scoring 24 points in the third quarter and limiting the Gee-Gees to only nine points, five of which came from free throws.
The game continued with Carleton dominating both offensively and defensively, as they put up 21 points in the final quarter to wrap up the game with a total of 80 points, while only allowing 40 points from the previously undefeated Gee-Gees.
The win also marked the best defensive effort by the Ravens this season, with 40 points being the least they’ve given up in a single game.
Smart said that U of O is missing some key players to due injury, and the roster is not at its best at the moment.
“We were doing good things defensively, but we have a long way to go,” he said.
The Ravens will take on the Gee-Gees one more time this regular season, when they face-off at the Capital Hoops Classic on Feb. 3.
