The Ravens men’s basketball team won their quarterfinal matchup against the University of Alberta (U of A) Golden Bears by a score of 100-60.
The win was an impressive three-point performance with the Ravens shooting a collective 17-33 from beyond the arch.
Ravens guard Isiah Osborne lead the team with four three-pointer field goals and 20 points total. Guard Yasiin Joseph had four three-pointers and 16 points to finish the game.
However, it was newly anointed U Sports first-team All-Canadian Eddie Ekiyor who took home player of the game with 20 points and an impressive 8-13 shooting performance.
Ekiyor was a presence on both ends of the court with 10 rebounds, six of them on defence.
The Ravens came out shaky, going only 1-6 from beyond the arch to open the game. The large physical presence of the Golden Bears meant there was little driving to the rim.
Ravens guard Marcus Anderson—who was recently named 2019 U Sports Defensive Player of the Year—was sent to the bench with an early foul, and head coach Dave Smart was not pleased.
The Ravens woke up in the second quarter, lighting it up by shooting 8-11 from beyond the arch with contribution from each player on the floor.
The Ravens’ long run clearly frustrated Alberta head coach Barnaby Craddock, who earned himself a technical foul.
The Ravens, meanwhile, continued to pour in energy from the bench as they were seen on their feet during the quarter.
A hustle play to cause a turnover on an inbound saw Ravens guard Troy Reid-Knight earn himself two free throws—the Ravens bench electrified the whole arena.
The Ravens started the second half with their all-stars in the game and ran a two big set with forward Mitch Jackson and Ekiyor playing inside. Joseph, Reid-Knight, and Osborne rotated in as the team shot long balls.
In the fourth quarter, the Ravens were 30 points ahead of the Golden Bears which allowed their bench players to come in as the game drew to a close.
The fourth quarter ended with Stanley Mayambo crossing over a U of A defender.
After the game, Reid-Knight was “happy but not content.”
“We started off the game slow. I think we played pretty well defensively,” Reid-Knight said. “But at the end, we weren’t as good as we had been earlier so we need to keep moving forward to tomorrow and then the next game.”
For Reid-Knight, the Ravens’ three-point game wasn’t anybody being particularly “hot” but the team playing strategically.
“We got a lot of open looks,” he added. “My teammates created a lot of open looks for me and the other guys who were making threes.”
Although the team benefitted from three-point field goals during the game, Reid-Knight said the team isn’t planning to keep it going that way for the rest of tournament play.
“I think it’s just based off today’s game. We just looked at the areas they weren’t guarding and worked off of those. I think it’s just today’s game.” he said.
With two more games coming up, Reid-Knight sees no advantage in who they play, focusing solely on end results.
“I mean at the end of the day, either way, it’s just another game.”
The Ravens now advance to the Final 8 semifinals and will face Dalhousie University next in tomorrow’s game.
Photo by Tim Austen
