The Carleton Ravens erased some painful memories of Scotiabank Place Jan. 26, as they defeated their hated cross town-rivals from the University of Ottawa (6-9), in the fifth annual MNBA Capital Hoops Classic.
Returning to the arena where they saw their dreams of a national championship dashed last year, the Ravens exercised any lingering frustration with a 78-65 victory in front of 7,565 fans. The win signalled the fourth consecutive victory in this match-up for Carleton, who were once again led by forward Tyson Hinz. The Ottawa native dominated inside for the Ravens, registering a double-double with a team-leading 25 points and 10 rebounds.
But things did not start according to plan for the top-ranked team in the nation.
After an exhilarating double-overtime victory for the women earlier in the evening, Dave Smart’s team had a tough act to follow. The extended wait in the locker room seemed to take its toll on the men, who turned the ball over six times in the opening quarter, while only shooting 30.8 per cent from the field.
Led by Warren Ward, the Gee-Gees shot the lights out, knocking down five three-pointers en route to building an impressive 23-9 lead going into the break.
“The bottom line is we didn’t have our kids prepared to play, and that’s my job,” Smart said. “Basically I overthought things and our guys were a step behind on defense. I really think that I went against my own mantra of ‘Keep it simple, stupid’ in the first quarter.”
After allowing a season-high 23 points in the quarter, the Ravens stepped up the intensity on the defensive end, and slowly began to chip away at the Gee-Gees’ lead. Led by Hinz, the men used a 12-0 second-quarter run to wipe out what was once a 17-point deficit.
“Once we got a few stops we started pushing the ball and having success,” Hinz said. “Especially in an atmosphere like this, we picked up some momentum and once you get the fans cheering for you, it really starts to show on the court.”
The Gee-Gees had no answer for the Ravens inside the paint, and a 27-point third quarter effectively put the game to bed, sending a pro-Carleton crowd into a frenzy.
With the win, the Ravens not only improved their overall record to 15-0, but also put a smile on the face of Carleton President Roseann Runte. The men’s victory ensured Runte was the victor of a friendly wager with University of Ottawa President Allan Rock.
Earlier in the week, the two agreed that whoever’s school finished with the lowest combined point total after both games would don the basketball uniform of their city rival.
Grinning from ear-to-ear, Runte made the presentation to Rock, which capped off a successful evening for Carleton.
Related coverage:
Visit the CharlatanOnline YouTube channel for accompanying video stories with highlights of the fifth annual MBNA Capital Hoops Classic.
As Gianluca Nesci reports, Tyson Hinz is having a season to remember.
Erika Stark recaps the Ravens women's thrilling double OT Capital Hoops victory.