After winning two games on the weekend, the Ravens women’s basketball team are only one game behind their cross-town rivals, the University of Ottawa (U of O) Gee-Gees, for the top spot in the Ontario University Athletics North Division.
The weekend matchups featured the Western Mustangs on Nov. 27, and the five-time defending national champion Windsor Lancers the next evening.
Against Western, the Ravens jumped out to an early start and never looked back. They started with a 7-0 run and continued to hold their lead. Heather Lindsay led the Ravens with 22 points, helping her team win the game by 24 points with a final score of 67-43.
“We just really came to play as a team,” said third-year guard Stephanie Carr, who chipped in six points in just 15 minutes off the bench. “We all had our mind set on a collective goal. None of us played as individuals.”
Team defence was particularly key for the Ravens, as they held the Mustangs to just 43 points on 30 per cent shooting from the field.
“It was the most complete effort we had defensively and [Western is] a very good offensive team,” said head coach Taffe Charles.
Western’s offence was nothing to behold against the Ravens’ stifling defence. They shot 30.8 per cent from the field, and had only one player score in double digits. This was the lowest-scoring game for the Mustangs this season.
A defensive effort would be needed the next night as the Ravens welcomed the visiting Windsor Lancers. The Lancers’ recent domination of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) is similar to that of the Ravens’ men’s basketball team, as they have been crowned CIS champs the last five seasons. However, this year the Lancers are far from immortal as the Ravens defeated them 80-63 on Saturday night.
After a defence-oriented first half of basketball, the teams went into the locker rooms tied 29-29.
“As a team we knew what we were capable of [in the second half],” Carr said. “Keep driving, keep working hard . . . Coach just told us we had to outwork them in order to win.”
Outworking the defending champs was just one of the numerous things Carleton did better in the second half. After Windsor forward Andrea Kiss hit a three-pointer to give Windsor a one-point lead at the 8:22 mark, Carleton went on an 18-6 run to close out the quarter.
Carr said the main component in the second half was, once again, team defence.
“They have some good individual players, but a lot of our girls won their individual matchups defensively,” Carr said.
Carleton managed to hold Windsor’s top two scorers to nine and 12 points respectively, on just 33 per cent shooting.
Carleton hit the 80-point mark for the first time this season in conference play. Four players reached double digits for the Ravens, including Natasha Plaskacz and Nicole Gilmore, who each posted season highs on Saturday.
The win was an impressive way to cap off the first half of the CIS season as the Ravens have their sights set on taking first place away from the rival Gee-Gees in the second half.
“I think we have what it takes—it just depends if we choose to bring it or not,” Carr said.
The team has their winter break for exams and Christmas holidays, but will resume action against the University of P.E.I on Dec. 28.
