With 52 seconds left in the 2016 Wilson Cup, Carleton Ravens freshman Marcus Anderson stole the ball off an inbound’s pass. The Ravens, down three, had hope as Anderson dashed down the court to try and trim the deficit.
However, he was denied at the rim by Ryerson Rams forward Adika Peter-McNeilly and Ryerson recovered the loose ball. The play was representative of a frustrating second half of basketball that ended in a 73-68 victory by the Rams.
The Rams had the privilege of playing in front of a raucous home crowd on March 12 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in downtown Toronto.
“That definitely helped fuel them,” said Ravens guard Connor Wood. “It gave them a lot of confidence and helped them stay aggressive.”
The number-oneseeded Rams fought off a double-digit halftime deficit to capture their first men’s basketball Wilson Cup title in the school’s history.
For the most part of the first half, the Ravens’ play quieted down the Ryerson fans. Led by Wood, who poured in 17 first-half points on eight shots, the Ravens were dominant in nearly every facet through the first 20 minutes.
The Ravens held the Ontario University Athletics’ (OUA) best offence to 27 points on 37 per cent shooting.
“We just did our best to disrupt their rhythm,” said Ravens point guard Kaza Kajami-Keane.
OUA All-Stars Peter-McNeilly and Aaron Best were held to just 13 points combined for Ryerson. The Ravens led by 13 at the break, with a score of 40-27.
The second half was a completely different story. The Rams amped up the defensive pressure and opened the half on a 14-5 run.
“They came out a lot more aggressive in the second half,” Kajami-Keane said. “They took away our transition and put us in our half court game.”
The half court game didn’t fare well for Carleton: They went ice cold and shot just 24.3 per cent in the half.
“Sometimes we got some good looks and just needed to finish,” Wood said. “But we definitely need to work on making the reads we need to on the floor.”
The Rams went on to outscore the Ravens 28-15 in the third quarter.
Ryerson led for the most part throughout the fourth. Wood was able to hit a clutch stepback three with two minutes to go, cutting the deficit to two. Despite the boost, Ryerson’s persistent defence proved to be too much in the end. Rams J.V. Mukama forced a turnover on Gavin Resch which provided the proverbial dagger.
“We just got to get back in the gym and get better,” Kajami-Keane said, who fouled out with a minute left. “After that type of game we want to correct the things that went wrong and focus on the next step.”
The next step for Carleton will be the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Final 8. They clinched a spot with a semi-final win over the University of Ottawa on March 11. The team will head to Vancouver on March 17 to try and defend their historic six-year run as CIS Champions.
“That’s the focus,” Wood said. “Our team’s goal is to win a national championship. It’s always nice to win, but hopefully this loss motivates us to make sure we are fully prepared next weekend to put ourselves in a good spot to win the big one.”
