It was late heartbreak for the men’s basketball team as Carleton Ravens lost their first home game of the season to Valparaiso University Crusaders.
It went down to the buzzer against their NCAA opponents, in the first game of the Annual Can-Am Shootout.
While this year’s team is comprised of new faces, the Ravens would have hoped to continue their success from the previous season, under the reign of newly appointed Head Coach Taffe Charles.
But that was not to be. From the tip off, the Crusaders jumped out to an early lead and held Carleton to a five-point differential, playing tough defence on the inside.
Carleton got off to a slow start, with their NCAA opponents catching them off guard a little, according to coach Taffe Charles.
“They came out knowing who we were, and I think we didn’t really respect the fact that they knew who we were. They were in a panic, and they wanted to play ridiculously hard, and we didn’t match their intensity.” – Taffe Charles, Carleton head coach
Playing without last year’s U Sports MVP centre Eddie Ekiyor left Carleton without an experienced first string centre.
Throughout long stretches of the game, Carleton played with a small lineup, often using five guards and giving first-year Lloyd Pandi the task of facing off against the team’s opposing centre.
“All I had to do was play as hard as I could, grabbing rebounds, making sure I make the tough plays and give the team the fight,” he said.
Carleton attempted to gain momentum at the start of the second half, by quickly drawing offensive fouls and scoring transition buckets, but at halftime, Valparaiso continued to lead Carleton 37-28.
In the third quarter, a lack of offensive output saw the substitution of Ravens starters, and the insertion of guards Aiden Warnholtz, center Ivan Cucak, and flex forward Elie Karojo. While their work ethic energized the team, Valparaiso extended their lead, with guard Javon Freeman, scoring a game high 27 points.
However, an electric and chaotic fourth quarter saw both squads fiercely competing. Within the last four minutes of the quarter, Carleton scored two clutch baskets, Pandi with the clutch layup in traffic.
With the Raven’s Nest buzzing and cheering spectators on their feet, the game was extended into a 5-minute overtime.
As Ravens and Crusaders clashed in the extra period, the game increased in physicality and the referees withheld their whistles, often to the animated frustration of the head coaches. Heading into the final minutes of the game, the Ravens accumulated a narrow 3-point lead.
But in the last minute, a controversial foul called against Carleton, gave the Crusaders a glimmer of hope. After successfully making both of their free throws, Valparaiso looked to steal the ball and score off a Carleton inbound, and take a lead in the final seconds.
Although playing for the opposition, Daniel Sackey, who was born in Winnipeg and has represented Canada at U-17 level, said he was ecstatic about making the winning basket.
“This is a game we wanted to play for sure. There’s been a lot of teams, big teams, that Carleton has beaten so we didn’t want to be just one of those teams that lose to Carleton.” – Daniel Sackey, point-guard Valparaiso
While not the expected result, Carleton Head Coach Taffe Charles reassured, “We’ll find our way, we’ll get the right people to do the things that need to be done, and hopefully we’ll learn from this experience.”
Losing on home soil is not common for the Ravens, and forward Lloyd Pandi commented, “We just gotta be better, we know there’s a lot of teams trying to come in here and kick us in the mouth, so we gotta make sure we’re ready for everything and be prepared.”
Carlteton will have a chance to bounce back again the University of Albany, this Sunday in the final game of the Can-Am Shootout.
