The Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team added new pages to the record books, as they defeated the McMaster Marauders by a score of 55-54 on Mar. 3 to advance to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Gold Medal game, and clinch a trip to the U SPORTS women’s basketball Final 8.
Ahead of Nationals, the Ravens will return to the hardwood on Mar. 4 when they take on the Queen’s Gaels in Kingston, in hopes of winning the OUA Gold Medal.
Against the Marauders, the Ravens found themselves in a tightly contested match-up from the beginning, as they trailed by a point after the first quarter.
Carleton found themselves on the opposite end of familiar territory, as they held a one point lead after the first quarter in their previous match-up back on Dec. 3.
The Ravens began to capitalize on a momentum swing in the second quarter, as they jumped out to a 30-22 lead by halftime.
But by the end of the third quarter, the Ravens’ margin had vanished, as they once again lead by a single point heading into the final quarter.
The Ravens attempted to extended their lead throughout the fourth, but the Marauders continued to claw back, and found the game tied at 49 with four minutes to go.
Ravens guard Cynthia Dupont hit a jump shot to restore the Ravens’ lead, but a three point response from McMaster forced Carleton to call a time-out.
Following the time-out, Ravens forward Heather Lindsay hit a pair of jump shots, while McMaster was only able to respond with one of their own.
Once again holding a single point lead, the Ravens focused on defence as they attempted to close out the game in the final minute.
After a time-out with 27 seconds to go, McMaster used all the time they could to ensure they would have the final shot, but it wasn’t enough as they were unable to sink the three-point shot for the win.
The Ravens will now looking to overcome Queen’s home court advantage in hopes of coming out on top of the OUA.
In their previous meeting, the Ravens foiled Queen’s’ hopes of an undefeated season, as the Ravens won 60-52 in Kingston.
– Photo by Cameron Penney
Correction: A previous version of the article stated that this is the women’s basketball first trip to nationals. That information is incorrect, as the team made nationals in 2011 and 2013. The Charlatan regrets the error.
