The trend of scoring over 100 points continued for the Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team as they beat the Queen’s University Gaels and the York University Lions Jan 24-25.
The Ravens beat the Gaels by a score of 104-65. The following evening the Ravens faced off against the York University Lions, who sit fifth in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East division, defeating them 102-66.
The Ravens have maintained a perfect 16-0 record so far in the regular season, with six games remaining.
In the first game against the Gaels, the Ravens led 55-28 at halftime and pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Gaels 30-19.
Fourth-year guard Philip Scrubb said it takes a team effort to keep them motivated.
“I think some of our guys have struggled with that and that’s what our coach says well. He keeps us motivated and the whole coaching staff does that well,” he said.
Fifth-year forward Tyson Hinz said they need to rely heavily on the work they put into their practices.
“It’s all about practice. If we make it tough in practice and compete everyday, make every practice as hard as you can, you can be ready for games,” he said.
In their second game, the Ravens got off to a slow start with the Lions opening the scoring and leading 8-3 within the first three minutes of the game.
The Ravens rallied after Hinz broke the 8-8 tie with under five to go. The remaining minutes of the first quarter were a tug of war and the Lions actually pulled to within two points of the Ravens.
Carleton’s lead continued to grow in the second quarter with strong offence from Hinz and Clinton Springer-Williams.
Ravens head coach Dave Smart has been telling his players to be relentless and aggressive every play, Hinz said. Even though the game started off slow for the Ravens, the advice seemed to sink in as they pulled away from the Lions.
The Ravens went up 51-35 at halftime.
At the end of the third quarter, Ravens fifth-year forward Kevin Churchill fell onto the court clutching his ankle. After a couple of minutes, Churchill was escorted off the court and he did not return for the rest of the game.
Within the last minute of play, Connor Wood sunk a three-pointer to get the Ravens past the century mark, making this the sixth game in the regular season the Ravens have scored 100 points or more in a game.
Hinz led the team in scoring with 30 points.
“I got selfish the first game. I got a few fouls, I got frustrated. Today I came out a little calmer, went back to my basics,” Hinz said.
Next up, the Ravens go on the road to face the University of Toronto Varsity Blues and the Ryerson University Rams Jan. 31-Feb. 1.
