The Carleton Raven men’s basketball team took on their cross-town rival, the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees at the annual Capital Hoops Classic on Feb. 1.
The score was 82-64, with the Ravens returning to the win column after dropping a game at home last weekend to the Ryerson University Rams.
Carleton’s eight-man rotation proved to be too much for the Gee-Gees.
It was obvious from the first play of the game, a monster finish from point guard Munis Tutu, that the Ravens had come back from last weekend’s loss with a passion.
The Ravens got out to a good start, beginning the game with a 12-4 run, which has been a customary trait for this year’s team.
Guard Aiden Warnholtz sees this as a key to coming off the bench.
“It helps big-time [starting fast] when everybody is out there scoring and talking—it really helps with the confidence,” Warnholtz said.
The Ravens kept their rhythm through the first quarter opting for strong side screen looks, with forward Eddie Ekiyor inside ready on the offensive boards.
The strength inside and shooting prowess on the exterior allowed the Ravens to open a 25-7 margin by the end of the first quarter.
Tutu and Ekiyor combined for 13 of those points along with forward Marcus Anderson—who added two three-pointers on identical corner looks.
Anderson shot 4-6 from beyond the arch, 6-9 from the field for a total of 16 points.
The Ravens went to the locker at halftime up 44-26.
In the second half, the Ravens showed no signs of slowing down. The third quarter opened up with Ekiyor scoring a difficult three-point play.
The Ravens went back to Ekiyor on the next two looks. He was blocked on one and registered points on the next one.
Anderson continued his offensive prowess throughout the game, a side of the stat sheet he had struggled with coming into the game.
The Gee-Gees kept the game close after some third-quarter offensive struggles from the Ravens.
Ekiyor and Anderson came out of the game and the team relied on veteran Mitch Jackson to stop Gee-Gees forward Guillaume Pépin.
Warnholtz came into the game after subbing off Tutu. It was short-lived, however, as the Gee-Gees came back into the game. The gap closed once the Ravens starters returned to the court.
The Gee-Gees continued to remain in the game as a result of the Ravens struggling to hit shots.
As Tutu and Joseph missed shots on defensive stops, guard Mitch Wood bailed the team out with back-to-back rebounds.
The Ravens were up by 15 points as the game approached the final five minutes of play.
The Ravens put the game away with a Tutu deep ball and increased their lead to 15 points. Head coach Dave Smart sat down and as the crowd began to file out of from the stands.
In the last minute of the game, Carleton substituted their starters came out, securing the 82-64 win.
Ekiyor led the way with 25 points. It was his first game in the starting rotation this season.
Warnholtz, who participated in his first Capital Hoops, commented on the teams’ performance.
“It was a good game. There [were] some lapses but we played well, you can always get better.” he said.
The Ravens will take their 18-1 regular season record on the road next weekend when they face the Queen’s University Gaels and York University Lions.
Photo by Tim Austen
