The last Capital Hoops was hosted in front of more than 8,000 fans at TD Place in Ottawa, Ont. on Feb. 8, 2020. [Photo by Spencer Colby/Charlatan Newspaper]

As Stanley Mayambo curled into a ball on the hardwood floor at the TD Place Arena, his hands on his head, Rob Smart turned to the bench of the Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team.

“You gotta bring the fight,” the assistant coach yelled. The flailing, the tripping, the shoving—it was all part of it. Even though it was just seven minutes into the Capital Hoops Classic between Carleton University and the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, Smart knew one thing for sure: it would be a fight to win this game.

A fight it became. To the final second, the Ravens and the Gee-Gees clawed and dug deep, pushing themselves onwards, buoyed by the cheers of half of the more than 8,000 people watching on. In the painful last moments, the ball bounced up and down, just around the rim. It never went in. 

Ottawa’s Guillaume Pépin heaved the ball into the air. The Gee-Gees had won, 68-67, their first victory in four years. 

The Ravens held a perfect record coming into the game. [Photo by Spencer Colby]
The Ravens had not seen a fight like it this season. Their record was perfect, winning 19 consecutive games and they lead the Ontario University Athletics in points per game. There was no doubt they were the best team in Canada.

And yet, they lost the battle.

“Human nature is, ‘No, everything is fine,’” said Ravens head coach Taffe Charles. “The thing about losing is, everything’s not fine.”

Through the first half, the game remained tied, but in the third quarter, Ottawa pulled ahead. With an 11-2 run and stifling defense, the Gee-Gees were up 50-44 by the end of the third.

“It was a war out there,” said Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin. “Bodies flying around, guys getting hit in the head, in the face. When we play each other, that’s how it often ends up.”

Carleton’s bench was explosive throughout the entire gam. [Photo by Tim Austen]
It came down to the fourth quarter, when Carleton’s offense finally exploded. A three pointer from Isiah Osborne put Carleton within three, and three from Mayambo put it within two. When Yasiin Joseph hit a two pointer to make it 61-60 Ravens, the roar from the crowd was deafening.

The Ravens continued to strike, but so did the Gee-Gees. Two made three throws from Calvin Epistola with nine seconds left put Ottawa up 68-67. Carleton had one shot to win.

Instead, with players crowded under the basket, the ball bounced, rolled and deflected through four shots from the Ravens with the clock approaching zero, never falling through the hoop. When Pépin, a Gee-Gee, grabbed the rebound, it was over.

“We always knew we had the ability,” said Epistola, the fifth-year point guard in his final season. “You have to enjoy the moment, but we also have to show the country that it’s just a little taste of what we can do.”

“It’s vindicating,” said Derouin, “that we were able to hang there with the undefeated, number one team in the country.”

Ravens senior Marcus Anderson and Gee-Gees senior Calvin Epistola have both had exceptional careers for their schools. [Photo by Tim Austen]
While Epistola won the game with his free shots, his performance lacked in the first part of the game.

“I thought he was terrible, to be honest with you, for most of the game,” said Derouin. But when he led the team, not through points scored or strong defense but with his game-winning shots, it redeemed his night. “It was him who steadied the ship.”

On the other side of the court, there are lessons to be learned for the Ravens. They got banged up early and struggled through a normally-deep lineup, rewriting their game plan without key contributors. Now, Carleton knows what it feels like to lose.

“Nobody feels sorry for you, and nobody should feel sorry for us,” said Charles. “It’s easy to learn from a loss.”

All 8,103 fans in attendance were given a show at TD Place. [Photo by Tim Austen]

Feature image by Spencer Colby.

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