With starters ruled out and illness ripping through the lineup, Carleton Ravens men’s basketball head coach Taffe Charles was looking for his depth players to take on a “next man up” mentality against the Laurentian Voyageurs.
He got just that as Carleton’s bench stepped up for 37 points in a lopsided 83-55 victory over the Voyageurs on Jan. 24 to secure the team’s third straight win.
The Voyageurs started the game hot, but their 8-5 advantage midway through the opening quarter was their last lead of the game.
Ravens guard Marjok Okado came off the bench and dropped 11 points in the first quarter to help Carleton enter the second with a 23-13 lead.
Guard Daniel Smith and Okado combined for 19 of the Ravens’ 23 first-quarter points, allowing Carleton to comfortably lead through the rest of the game.
“It’s nice to see all the people contribute,” Charles said. “We always talk about the next man up mentality.”
The Ravens were without four players against the Voyageurs, including star forward Augustas Brazdeikis, who missed his fifth straight game with a foot injury. Charles said the team hopes Brazdeikis — who sits ninth in OUA scoring averaging 17.5 points per game — can return to action in their next double-header weekend against Ontario Tech on Jan. 31 and Queen’s University on Feb. 1.
In Brazdeikis’ absence, Smith hit double-digit scoring for the fourth time in the last five games substituting into the starting lineup. Smith finished the night with 14 points and eight boards, shooting 4-for-6 from three.
“Just got to step up to the plate and do my job,” Smith said.
After a strong first quarter from Smith, Ravens guard Xavier Spencer took over, dropping 10 of his 15 points in the second frame to put Carleton up 46-28 at half.
A 10-4 run early in the third quarter secured an insurmountable lead for Carleton. After consecutive Laurentian baskets, a dagger three from Okado killed any remaining momentum for the Voyageurs. Okado finished the night with a team-leading 22 points off the bench, shooting 6-for-9 from behind the arc.
“Just play my role,” Okado said. “Stay ready and do what I got to do for the team.”
Okado has led the team in scoring in each of the last two games after posting 19 points on the road against Laurentian on Jan. 18. A skilled ball handler and shooter, Charles said Okado needs to earn his scoring opportunities with strong defensive play.
“[Okado] makes the hard look easy and the easy look hard,” said Charles. “When he’s wide open, he can’t make shots, but when he needs to make tough shots, he makes them.
“What I worry about with him is defending and rebounding, and if he’s doing it at a high level, then he’ll be on the floor, and if he’s on the floor, then he’s going to score a lot of points.”
Although Laurentian is the fifth-best team in the OUA at defending shots from beyond the arc — holding their opponents to just 28.4 per cent on three-point attempts — Carleton dominated the three-point line. The Ravens shot an impressive 15-for-36, good for 41.7 per cent from three.
The Ravens will look to continue their hot streak at home against the 5-11 Nipissing Lakers on Jan. 25. The last time the two teams met on Jan. 17, Carleton narrowly pulled out a 82-77 victory.
Featured photo by Murray Oliver.
