In front of 7,022 boisterous fans, the Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team won their fifth straight MBNA Capital Hoops Classic against a leaderless University of Ottawa Gee-Gees team Jan. 18 at Scotiabank Place.
The Gee-Gees were without their leading scorer, Warren Ward, who has been on the sidelines since the beginning of the new year with a torn ACL. Ward is second overall in Ontario University Athletics scoring, with an average of 18.9 points per game.
With the 74-34 win, the Ravens have won their last 13 meetings with the Gee-Gees, with their last loss against their cross-town rival coming on Feb. 18, 2007.
Last year’s classic saw the Gee-Gees take a commanding lead in the first 10 minutes, going up 23-9 over the Ravens at the start of the second quarter. Ward led the charge, scoring the Gee-Gees’ first seven points.
The Ravens fared much better in the first quarter at this year’s game, outscoring the Gee-Gees 13-6. The Gee-Gees battled back in the second quarter, however, scoring 10 points to Carleton’s nine and playing much harder defensively to rein in the Carleton offence.
“I do think our defence kind of saved us in the first half,” said Ravens head coach Dave Smart. “We just couldn’t make shots . . . for whatever reason we had some struggles offensively but we still had a lead based on our defence.”
Unfortunately for the Gee-Gees, the Ravens came out full-speed ahead in the second half. Second-year forward Tyson Hinz went on a tear in the third quarter, scoring six points in the opening two minutes. At the start of the fourth, Carleton led by 26 points, 48-22.
“Obviously, we shot the ball very well in the second half, even from the three-point line,” Smart said. “We got good shots inside the three-point line, but when you go five-for-six it kind of opens things up inside as well.”
Despite ending the first half with only eight points, Hinz had a double-double by the end of the third, with 22 points and 10 rebounds. He added another rebound in the fourth before getting subbed off.
“I don’t want to come off as the most negative person in the world, which I sometimes do, but I have kind of high expectations for [Hinz],” Smart said. “I think he had a really good second half and put up some good numbers but I don’t think he played his best game; I think he struggled in the first half in a lot of ways.”
Hinz said he was satisfied with the Ravens’ play in the second half, despite the low scoring first.
“We just kept it simple,” Hinz said. “We made some shots inside that we didn’t make in the first half. Our defence kept us in the game the whole time.”
The Ravens continue their season Jan. 20 against the Queen’s Gaels at the Ravens’ Nest.
