The Carleton Ravens’ 2024-25 women’s basketball team has made history as just the second squad in program history to complete an undefeated OUA regular season.
The Ravens were the team to watch throughout the season as they earned their third-straight appearances both in the Critelli Cup finals and the U Sports Final 8 national championship finals. While hopes of an OUA championship and national three-peat were shot down in both appearances with two silver medals to show for it, their dominance continues to shape a growing dynasty in women’s basketball at Carleton.
Ravens coach and back-to-back OUA coach of the year Dani Sinclair didn’t humour the “undefeated” narrative. Throughout the season, Sinclair reminded reporters and fans that despite their perfect regular-season record, the Ravens lost twice during preseason.
“There’s nothing around the undefeated [narrative] because we’re not undefeated,” said Sinclair after the 70-61 OUA championship loss to the uOttawa Gee-Gees on March 8. “And Ottawa is a very good team — it’s not like we take them lightly or we had too much pressure.”
Perhaps not so coincidentally, the only other team in program history to complete an undefeated OUA regular season was the 2017-18 women’s Ravens under the leadership of current men’s coach Taffe Charles.
Ravens alumna Heather Lindsay played a key role in that perfect season, recording a team-leading 253 points through 23 games. Lindsay said her Carleton squad didn’t reflect on their undefeated regular season until they won the women’s program’s first U Sports national championship later that spring.
“There are so many talented teams, especially in the OUA, so it definitely is not an easy feat,” Lindsay said. “The team that we had that went undefeated all had the same mentality of winning and not focusing on individual accomplishments, and that was really important.”
Seven years later, that unselfish spirit is the same factor that brought this current team success, said veteran guard Tatyanna Burke.
“Our coaches have been pushing togetherness,” Burke said after the Ravens’ OUA semifinal victory on March 1. “I think all of us, from the starters to the people who are injured, we all do that. We all check in with each other. We all support each other.”
Despite one of the program’s best-ever point guards, Kali Pocrnic, taking off to play professional basketball in Finland, the squad found troves of talent up and down the bench. Until recently, it seemed like nothing would stop them.
Burke said it was the team’s confidence in each other that made them special.
“Most teams, they don’t prepare like us,” Burke said. “I like how the coaches focus on little details that make the players focus on [the] little details.”
This season was rookie Abany Deng’s first as a Raven. Deng said the team’s off-court chemistry was vital to their success on the court.
“We all consider ourselves sisters,” Deng said. “This is a really tight group and … nothing is fake. Our connection on the court translates off court. We’re always together [and] we can rely on each other no matter what.”
Even Gee-Gees fifth-year guard and Critelli Cup MVP Natsuki Szczokin gave props to Carleton’s impressive season after uOttawa’s championship win.
“They’re an amazing team,” Szczokin said. “They never lost a game this whole season, so it really does show how good of a team they are. I think we used that as fuel, knowing that they are No. 1.”
Despite missing out on a third national title at the U Sports Final 8 national championship in Vancouver, this year’s season was still one for the books. They may not appreciate it until the job is done, but this season was another step forward for the program.
“Having once played, I know how much work these players put to be playing at such a high level and it really shows on the court,” Lindsay said.
Although Sinclair has consistently rejected that the undefeated season has resonated with the team, she offered a slightly different perspective after the Ravens’ OUA semifinal victory.
“It will [resonate] at some point, but not right now,” Sinclair said. “I think you could look back once the season’s over and you get a chance to reflect. That’s obviously a special thing, but it’s definitely not something we’re thinking about right now.”
Featured photo by Janson Duench / The Charlatan.
