Ravens men’s basketball builds win streak against Nipissing and Laurentian

The Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team recorded an assertive yet flawed 80-62 win against the Nipissing Lakers Jan. 12 at the Ravens’ Nest.

Carleton then strung together a third-straight victory against the Laurentian Voyageurs the next night, pulling ahead 72-63 with a late push.

Jan. 12: Nipissing

Despite the win over Nipissing, the Ravens’ inexperience was evident as they committed a staggering 24 fouls throughout the game. However, the Lakers couldn’t fully capitalize on the Ravens’ mishaps, shooting a measly 17 for 30 (56.7 per cent) from the charity stripe. 

The Ravens turned the ball over at a high rate, ending the game with 23 turnovers. Ravens guards Xavier Spencer and Daniel Smith turned the ball over four and seven times, respectively. 

“We don’t take care of the ball very well,” said Ravens head coach Taffe Charles. “It’s something that requires experience.”

Despite the issues, Charles said he remains committed to the development of his players. 

“[Spencer] will learn from it,” Charles said. “In a year and a half, two years, we’ll have a great player, but right now it’s kind of tough to deal with […] in the short term.”

Rebounding critical for Ravens

The Ravens started the game slow, committing turnover after turnover. The Lakers took full advantage of the Ravens’ mistakes, taking an early 10-6 lead, resulting in a Carleton timeout.

The Ravens returned with great success, nabbing rebounds and cashing in on second-chance buckets, which allowed them to take a commanding 20-13 lead. 

The run was led by Ravens guard Aubrey Dorey-Havens, who chipped in nine points in the first quarter.  

Rebounding was integral to the Ravens’ success, as they collected a total of 50 rebounds compared to Nipissing’s 26. By aggressively hunting for rebounds, they were able to convert 22 crucial second-chance points through the game. 

Ravens forward Noah Horobetz Simpson crashed the boards with a game-high 10 rebounds, six of them coming from the offensive end. Smith contributed another 9 rebounds to Carleton’s total.

However, the Ravens’ momentum halted as a go-ahead three from Lakers forward Alvin Icyogere and a pair of free throws from guard Jack Hagerty brought the game within reach for the visiting team. Nipissing trailed by only three points to end the first quarter.

The Lakers began the second quarter with a bang as Icyogere converted an and-one three, snatching a 22-21 lead for the Lakers. 

This didn’t deter the Ravens as they fired back with their own offence, going on a 9-0 run which was capped off by Ravens guard Marjok Okado’s three-pointer. 

The Ravens also imposed their defence on the Lakers, forcing them to take heavily contested shots. While the Lakers converted some of them, the Ravens made them pay for their lost chances down the stretch.  

For the remainder of the second quarter, the Ravens kept the Lakers at bay and brought a  45-37 lead into the half.

By the second half of the game, the Ravens completely took over and extended their lead by double digits. The Ravens’ defence also caused the Lakers to shoot an abysmal 14.3 per cent from the field in the third quarter.

It was much the same in the fourth quarter as the Ravens refused to let their foot off the gas and extended their lead to 20 points. Okado chipped in eight points in the quarter and finished with a game-high 23 points on an efficient 50 per cent from the field. 

Spencer also contributed 17 points, nabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists. 

Despite their mistakes, rebounding carried the Ravens to victory ahead of a more difficult matchup with Laurentian the next night.

Jan. 13: Laurentian

As expected, Laurentian proved to be more trouble for Carleton, especially with the added difficulty of the Ravens’ frequent fouls throughout the night. 

Both teams stole the lead from each other from the outset, with the Voyageurs putting on pressure from the beginning and the Ravens responding accordingly. Spencer made big plays from the opening tip-off, scoring 10 points in the first 10 minutes.

Across the court going against Spencer was Voyageurs forward Caillou Lacroix, whose 16 points in the first half helped the Voyageurs to a three-point lead going into the final half. 

In the second half, the game became even more of a nail-biter as the Ravens started getting into foul trouble with back-to-back calls going against them.

Carleton needed players to step up, and most important among them was Ravens guard Wazir Latiff, who came in clutch from the moment he stepped onto the court. 

While both teams were going back and forth in the third quarter, it was Latiff’s nine points that allowed the Ravens to finish the third quarter up 50-47, shifting the momentum in their favour going into the fourth.

However, with two minutes left in the game the Ravens finally pulled away from the Voyageurs. It was the result of a strong defensive push in tandem with drawing fouls for easy points from the line.

A clutch shot by Ravens guard Emmanuel Ugbah and two free throws from Simpson extended the Ravens’ lead to five, which was too much for the visiting Voyageurs to overcome. 

From there, defence was the key, and Carleton only conceded a single point while scoring another five to take the win and extend their win streak to three in a season that has been full of ups and downs.

Up next

Carleton has been streaky this season, prior to this current streak they endured a four-game winless drought, which itself was preceded by a four-game win streak. The Ravens sit in fourth place out of six teams in the OUA East division.

The Ravens are back in action Jan. 20 when they tip off against the Algoma Thunderbirds at 8 p.m at the George Leach Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

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Featured image by Anya Swettenham/The Charlatan.