The Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team came up victorious with a 85-69 win over the Calgary Dinos in their U SPORTS men’s basketball Final 8 quarterfinal game on March 9 at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, N.S.
The second seeded Ravens faced off against the seventh seeded University of Calgary Dinos, with winner of the game advancing to the semifinals—while the loser plays for the consolation prize.
The first five minutes of the first quarter had a back-and-forth battle between both teams as it was tied at 11 around the five-minute mark. The second half of the quarter found the Ravens pulling ahead as they went into the end of the first quarter leading 26-15.
The second quarter was more of the same as the two teams traded baskets with the Ravens holding a seven-point lead in the final 30 seconds—until Ravens reserve guard Emmanuel Owootoah hit a buzzer beating three-point shot to extend the lead to 41-31.
At the half, Owootoah led all scorers with 14 points. Following the game he said although he felt confident playing on the Scotiabank Centre court, the important three wasn’t a matter of skill.
“Luck was on my side so it went in,” Owootoah said with a smile.
The start of the second half showed a different story for both teams as the Dinos began to cut into the lead. After turning the ball over several times, the Ravens lead had slipped to 62-57. This was a recurring issue for the Ravens throughout the game, as they had 21 turnovers.
“We’ve been struggling with turnovers all year,” Ravens head coach Dave Smart said. “It’s new to a lot of these guys, I think we’re a very talented group but a very young group and because of that we’ve struggled with turnovers.”
But the Ravens’ rebounding kept them in the game. To start the fourth quarter the Ravens held a long possession with four offensive rebounds after three missed three pointers.
The Ravens continued to pull ahead throughout the fourth quarter extending the lead to as high as 18 with two minutes remaining. The Ravens finished off the game, winning it 85-69.
Connor Wood, Kaza Kajami-Keane, and Owootoah all led the Ravens 16 points each, while Wood was named Carleton’s player of the game. Thomas Cooper led the Dinos with 17 points.
Wood, who struggled in the first half of the game with only two points, said he was able to find his rhythm when defenders began to cover his teammates, leaving him open.
“I started getting more open shots when [Owootoah] and Kaza started making a few, so [the defenders] had to get up on them,” Wood said.
Smart said he knew he was in for a tough matchup against the Dinos as they have the best scorer in the league in Cooper. He said Cooper’s scoring ability became a focus of the Raven’s defence going into the game.
“We put a plan together in terms of trying slow Cooper down as much as we could and keep him off the foul line,” Smart said.
The Ravens will move onto the championship semifinals on March 11, while the Dinos will play in the consolation semifinals on March 10.
Despite losing the opening game, Dinos head coach Dan Vanhooren said his team is still motivated to win the remaining games.
“There’s only two teams that have a chance to win their last game, so I think that’s our motivation,” he said.
