The Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team is off to a winning start in this summer’s exhibition play, including the Carleton-hosted Can-Am Shootout.
The Ravens are 4-2 against National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) opposition, starting the preseason 3-1 in the Paradise Jam tournament, held in the U.S. Virgin Islands from Aug. 14 to 18.
Before and after the Paradise Jam Tournament, the team has played host to NCAA teams throughout the month of August. The Ravens are currently 3-1 in the Shootout heading into their game against the Northeastern Huskies on Aug. 25.
Carleton opened the Can-Am Shootout with a 76-64 loss against the Towson Tigers before beating the high-profile Alabama Crimson Tide 84-71.
The team was able to keep the game close with Towson up until halftime. However, the Tigers pulled away in the second half by outscoring the Ravens 30-13 in the third quarter.
The victory against Alabama was ignited by a 11-2 start, but was back and forth for the majority of the game. After a tight three quarters between the two teams, the Ravens pulled away in the fourth.
The Ravens then traveled to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam tournament.
Carleton started with three straight victories: one over the Northern Colorado Bears 89-79 and two over the Vanderbilt Commodores by scores of 61-56 and 81-74.
The Ravens finished strong against Northern Colorado, outscoring them 40-33 in the second half.
They had close games against Vanderbilt with the first one going down to the wire. In the second match, an 11-0 and a 7-0 run helped them pull away from the Commodores in the fourth quarter.
The Ravens finished off the tournament by losing to the James Madison Dukes 67-59, relinquishing a 12-point halftime lead in the process.
The seven-time defending U Sports champions are coming into this season following the departure of key veterans Kaza Kajami-Keane, Connor Wood, Ryan Ejim and Joe Rocca, who all graduated after last season.
Second-year centre Eddie Ekiyor and point guard Emmanuel Owootoah have taken the reigns offensively this summer as the Ravens’ leading scorers. Ekiyor is averaging 15.5 points per game while Owootoah is averaging 13.6.
Ekiyor scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Northern Colorado. He also had 21 points and nine rebounds in the second game versus Vanderbilt.
Owootoah seems likely to be the Ravens’ new starting point guard after Kajami-Keane’s exit, having started every exhibition game thus far. He posted 20 points and seven assists against Northern Colorado, as well as 17 points against Towson.
Third-year guard Yasiin Joseph saw increased playing time from last season as well. His most notable game was against Alabama, when he led the team with 19 points and five assists coming off the bench. He also notched 17 points in the second win over Vanderbilt.
Carleton was strong on the glass, outrebounding their opponents in three of the six games as well as being tied in rebounds against James Madison. Ekiyor is leading the team with 7.5 rebounds per game.
Carleton was also solid in sharing the ball and three-point shooting. The Ravens had more assists than their opponents in every single game, averaging 16.5 per game. The team also shot an average of 34.8 per cent from beyond the arc.
The Ravens finish off the Can-Am Shootout with five games in seven days, including four straight at home.
Their Shootout wins include a 87-60 win over the New Hampshire Wildcats on Aug. 22, and a 77-65 victory over the Canisius College Golden Griffins on Aug. 23.
They host the Saint Francis (Brooklyn) Terriers before travelling to Saint Lambert, Que. to face off against the Sienna Saints on Aug. 28.
The team will continue to play exhibition games until Oct. 29, before their regular season tips off at home on Nov. 3 against the Guelph Gryphons.
Photo by Dan Robertson
