Despite extending their season record to a perfect 10-0 with lopsided wins in their first two games of 2012, men’s basketball star Tyson Hinz said the Carleton Ravens team didn’t begin the new year the way they had hoped.
“It wasn’t the best weekend for us,” Hinz said. “The scores said we won both games by a decent amount, but we have a lot to work on, especially on the defensive end. We missed a lot of rotations and gave teams lots of open shots.”
Carleton beat the York Lions Jan. 6 by a score of 90-54, with sophomore guard Philip Scrubb leading the way offensively with 17 points. Hinz played strong at both ends of the floor, picking up 12 points and eight rebounds.
“We had some players get into foul trouble early,” Hinz said. “Whenever we can get the young guys and reserves get in, we just want them to keep it simple and play hard, and our bench really stepped up in their time on court.”
The following day, the Ravens took on the Laurentian Voyageurs on the road and were able to overcome a double-digit first quarter deficit to crush the Voyageurs 98-51. Hinz and Scrubb led the way again for Carleton, contributing 23 points and 21 points respectively. Fifth-year guard Willy Manigat played a game-high 33 minutes and scored 16 points off the bench.
“If we have a first quarter at nationals like we played against Laurentian, we will be down 30 points and be hard to come back from,” said fifth-year guard Elliot Thompson. “We just had to slow things down, rebound the ball better, and play better team defence.”
The Ravens continued their undefeated season with the weekend wins, and have not lost to a Canadian team since the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Final against the Lakehead Thunderwolves last March. Their perfect start has once again helped them earn a first-place ranking in Canadian Interuniversity Sport.
“I think our practices have a lot to do with our success,” Hinz said. “All of our practices are very intense and I think it shows in our games that we don’t take many practices off.”
The Ravens upcoming games are also on the road on Jan. 13 against the Ryerson Rams, and the University of Toronto Varsity Blues the next day. Their next “home game” comes in the annual MBNA Capital Hoops Classic at Scotiabank Place on Jan. 18 against their crosstown rivals, the University of Ottawa.
“Our next few games will be incredibly tough,” Hinz said. “We have some big games which will be a really good test for us to simulate the national championship experience.”
