The Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team kicked off its regular season with back-to-back wins at Ravens’ Nest, defeating the York University Lions on Friday before cruising to victory Saturday night against the McMaster Marauders.
The first quarter against the Lions concluded with a tied score of 21-21. However, the Ravens found their footing in the second quarter, holding the Lions to only six points in the quarter’s entirety.
The Lions had an abysmal shooting record for the first half, connecting on only two of 20 shots. The Ravens led by 11 at halftime.
The Ravens tightened their grip on the Lions in the third quarter, outscoring them 24-14. A desperate Lions squad rallied in the fourth quarter to cut down the lead, but it was too late. The game concluded with a final score of 69-57 for Carleton, with Ravens guard Kali Pocrnic outputting 29 points—more than half of York’s final score.
The next day was no different for the Ravens, who continued their winning play into Saturday versus the McMaster Marauders. The visiting team put up a good fight in the first quarter, gaining momentum over the Ravens with an early lead.
However, the Ravens caught up, ending the first quarter with a one-point lead. This was followed by a contrasting five-minute sequence to begin the second quarter where neither of the two teams notched any points.
A late Carleton push kick-started the team, with the Ravens executing on both offence and defence in the final minutes of the half. This culminated in a buzzer-beating layup from Pocrnic, extending Carleton’s halftime lead to nine.
Carleton forward Emma Kiesekamp injured her right leg in the third quarter and was helped off the court. It was an unfortunate blow to the Ravens.
Carleton began to pull away from McMaster in the final quarter. A late Marauder push from guards Deanna Mataseje and Sarah Gates shortened the deficit, but the play didn’t stop the Ravens’ 73-57 victory.
Going undefeated in their season opener, the Ravens look to carry momentum on their two-game road trip against the Nipissing Lakers on Nov. 11 and the Laurentian Voyageurs on Nov. 12.
Featured image by Veronica Carvalho.
