In an Aug. 6 game for the annual Can-Am Shootout, the Ravens men’s basketball team took on the Cincinnati Bearcats, last year’s AAC conference champion, and beat them 86-67.
Mitch Cronin, Bearcats coach, said the game was a physical affair, which he added was his team’s plan.
Cronin said it was a great opportunity to play a team the calibre of Carleton before their regular season starts.
Ravens forward Eddie Ekiyor said physicality was the key to Carleton’s victory. “We knew they were going to come out and be physical, so we had to be physical right back,” Ekiyor said.
The game was close through the first quarter with Carleton’s offseason rust showing, having several miscues and falling behind the Bearcats. By the end of the first quarter, the team gained a rhythm and pulled even.
In the second quarter, Carleton started to take control and exposed the Bearcats’ second-ranked defence, scoring 41 first half-points. The scoring charge was led by Ekiyor and Ravens guard Munis Tutu. With Ekiyor winning a battle by the rim, it opened Tutu to score from the three-point range.
Carleton kept their foot on the gas pedal with Ekiyor leading the charge with 26 points. Tutu finished with 21 points, five rebounds and 5-7 shooting from the three-point range. When they left the court with three minutes left in the game, the Ravens were given a standing ovation.
“I’m excited. It feels good,” Tutu said after the game. “I worked hard this summer and it’s nice to see it pay off already.”
Tutu was of two minds about his performance in the absence of Yasiin Joseph, last year’s leading scorer for the Ravens. “I’m happy to have stepped up,” he said. “But when Yasiin is here, he’s our main scoring threat, so I’ll be looking for him, but this game shows that if I keep being aggressive, then I can contribute as well,” he said.
Tutu and Ekiyor said the game was a good starting point for the team’s season. “We can’t let it go to our head, we won with offence but we have to keep going. Keep working to get better and the key to that is locking down our defence,” Ekiyor said.
“This game showed us that if we keep working hard and listening to our coach, we can be competitive with not only the best teams in Canada but the United States as well,” Tutu said.
