The Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team soundly defeated the Lakehead University Thunderwolves by a score of 112-45 on Saturday night—extending their season-long winning streak to six games.
The Nov. 17 game saw the Ravens post both a season-high of 112 in total points in a game and a season-low 13 points in the first half.
Solid play at both ends was music to the ears of Ravens guard Aiden Warnholtz. The first-year guard drained 11 points off the bench against the Thunderwolves, including a comeback three-pointer after being the victim of a big charge at the end of the second quarter.
“Especially in the first half . . . we got some stops on defence, which always helps,” Warnholtz said. “We were hitting some shots eventually, too. I think when we play as a team, we’re a good team.”
The Ravens now have a 6-0 record to show for their solid play, heading into a pivotal clash at home next weekend against the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West-leading 5-2 Brock University Badgers.
The Ravens came out of the gate strong, going on an 8-0 run to begin the first quarter. Conversely, Lakehead managed eight points total in the entire first quarter, at the end of which Carleton led by 17.
Up 25-8 to begin the second quarter, the Ravens buckled down and dominated. Forward Marcus Anderson hit a three-pointer 27 seconds into the frame, setting the tone for a lopsided 10 minutes which saw Carleton hold Lakehead to just five points total.
The Ravens led 51-13 at the half, having committed just five fouls to Lakehead’s 12 in the opening 20 minutes. At the same time, Carleton shot 6-for-17—a 35.3 per cent success rate—on three-pointers, while Lakehead went 0-for-9.
Unrelenting upon maintaining their lead, Carleton shot out on a 28-2 run to begin the second half. The Ravens drained four of the first five three-point attempts of the third quarter and showed no signs of slowing down, even while up 79-15.
Chalk that up to always staying focused and knowing that, in a competitive league, every point always matters.
“To stay sharp, you’ve just got to focus on the next game,” fifth-year forward Mitch Wood said. Wood was tapped by head coach Dave Smart to start on Saturday, with regular starter Yasiin Joseph held out of the lineup. “We didn’t win last year, there are a bunch of other teams out there that are also killing, like Ryerson . . . we’ve got to be ready to play them.”
“You’ve got to take every possession seriously,” added Warnholtz. “That’s what makes teams great—you’ve got to try to focus for the 40 minutes no matter how much you’re up.”
The game was all but decided by the end of the third quarter, with Carleton leading 79-20. Coach Smart chose to empty the bench in the fourth quarter, which certainly featured no shortage of scoring. The two teams combined for 58 total points, with Carleton registering 33 of them.
At the final buzzer, Carleton walked away with an authoritative 112-45 win, sending the Thunderwolves to 2-4 on the year after the 67-point loss.
When the OUA East and West leaders, Carleton and Brock, come together at the Ravens’ Nest on Nov. 23, it’s safe to assume that the margin of victory in that game will not be as big as that of this one.
What should be big? The crowd.
“This is a big basketball school,” said Isiah Osborne, who is in his first year with the Ravens since transferring from NCAA Division I University of Texas El Paso. “It’s big like the D1 schools over there, same thing. Big crowds, you know, lots of fans.”
“The culture is the same,” he added. “We just go out there and look for the wins, every day.”
—With files from Tim Austen.
Photos by Spencer Colby
