The Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team continued their undefeated regular season run with victories over the Windsor Lancers and Western Mustangs on Nov. 17 and 18.
The team started off their weekend against the Lancers, handing them a 97-83 loss, but according to the players, the Ravens struggled defensively throughout.
Windsor started off shooting hot, with Lucas Orlita hitting two catch-and-shoot threes to give the visitors an early 6-0 lead.
The Ravens bounced back as Eddie Ekiyor scored off a drive to the rim and Marcus Anderson knocked down a three-pointer to give the Ravens their first lead of the game at 10-9 halfway through the first quarter.
Ekiyor led the Ravens with a double-double, 25 points and 13 rebounds, in a high-scoring first half that ended 57-44.
Carleton extended their lead with passing and ball movement as they notched 20 assists compared to Windsor’s 13.
An 8-2 run between the first and second quarters gave Carleton a 10-point lead. However, Windsor stayed in the game shooting 36.4 per cent from beyond the arc (12-33) with Carleton shooting 33.3 per cent (12-36).
The Ravens pulled away late in the third quarter with a Stanley Mayambo three-pointer making it 72-56.
However, the Lancers fought back to keep the game close. Windsor guard Mike Rocca, younger brother of former Ravens’ guard Joe Rocca, headed his team with 21 points, including eight in the fourth quarter.
The Ravens were able to defeat the Lancers 97-83, but allowed for the most points scored against their team this season.
“We struggled a bit. We have to come out harder. Rebounding was weak and transition [play] was horrible,” said Anderson, who finished with nine points and four steals in the game.
“They ran a lot of zone [defence] so we just have to find the spots, get to the two-on-one and find penetrations,” he said of the offensive game plan.
The Ravens started slowly again in the following night’s 82-61 triumph against Western as Ekiyor led the Ravens with 20 points and 17 rebounds.
The teams traded baskets in the first quarter. Carleton took a small lead with two Ekiyor free throws and an Anderson three, before a Marko Kovac layup put the Mustangs back on top 12-11.
After Western point guard Henry Tan’s layup tied the score at 17 early in the second, the Ravens pushed the lead to 39-25 at halftime. Cam Smythe hit a three-pointer and jumper and Ekiyor scored at the rim and also hit four free throws. A Mayambo three-pointer and a Mitch Wood midrange jumper capped off the first half.
The third quarter continued a trend of both teams getting to the free throw line as Carleton shot 33 free throws while Western shot 31 throughout the game.
Back-to-back three pointers by Kovac cut the score to 66-53 before the Ravens finished the game with strong play by Mitch Jackson and Munis Tutu. The final score of the game was 82-61 and was the Ravens’ seventh straight win in a row this season.
“It wasn’t our best game,” said Tutu, who finished with 10 points and four assists. “We just got to play harder even though we got the win. We got to come more prepared and execute our plays better next game.”
Tutu pointed out the team’s defensive struggles. “It was a bad game defensively–both games. We got to do a lot better next game if we expect to win a national championship this year,” he said.
The Ravens close out 2017 with three road games, with their next against the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Nov. 24.
Photo by Meagan Casalino
