The highly anticipated 2013 Capital Hoops Classic women’s game between the Carleton Ravens and the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees at Scotiabank Place on Jan. 23 did not disappoint.
With the Gee-Gees winning their first Classic in last year’s thrilling battle, the Ravens bounced back this year in another exciting game to win by a score of 68-50.
The sixth Classic featuring the women’s teams began as a defensive struggle with both teams trading multiple turnovers on offence and great defensive blocks at the other end of the court.
The game also had massive implications for the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) standings. Heading into the game, the Ravens and Gee-Gees were tied for first place in the OUA East division, both with 20 points and a 10-3 record. With the win, the Ravens now have sole possession of first place in the division and hope to keep this position going into the playoffs.
In her final season with Carleton, guard Alyson Bush led the team in scoring with 21 points and first-year guard Julia Soriano led the Gee-Gees in scoring with 14 points.
“This game will be very memorable as it is my last Capital Hoops. It was a great team win and it was very exciting to beat them in my last game here,” Bush said.
In the first half, the two teams traded turns with the lead, with the Ravens leading 30-28 at the half.
In the second half, the Ravens came out strong and opened up a bit of a lead over the Gee-Gees. The game picked up pace and intensity early in the second half. At the end of the third quarter, the Ravens led by 11 points, 53-42.
In the final quarter, the Ravens pulled away from the Gee-Gees, outscoring them 15-8 in the final quarter.
The Gee-Gees were without their leading scorer Jenna Gilbert in this game.
“This victory is going to give us a leg up on second place and so that’s a big deal. I found in the first half we weren’t really great at controlling our nerves,” Ravens head coach Taffe Charles said.
“They were short-handed and we knew they were short-handed, so we wanted to take advantage of that. We started to wear them down and in the third quarter we found our form.”
“I’m really happy with the win, but I’m sure the next game we play against them will be more competitive,” he said.
“Our ultimate goal is to win nationals, but we are going to take it game by game and go from there,” Bush said.
The Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) fifth-ranked Ravens now have very little time to prepare and rest. They are back on the court Jan. 25-26 when they take on the York University Lions and the Laurentian University Voyageurs at the Ravens’ Nest.
The Ravens are looking to build upon their impressive and important victory over the rival Gee-Gees.
“Now we have to really concentrate on the games we have coming up this weekend. Those games are equally as important as the games we just played,” Charles said.
