If there was any doubt over who the true leader of the Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team was, it was erased on Feb. 24. Guard Kali Pocrnic scored a program-record 40 points to lead her team to a 94-77 victory over the McMaster Marauders in the OUA quarterfinals at the Ravens’ Nest.
With the win, the Ravens advance to the semifinals, one win shy of making their second consecutive appearance in the Critelli Cup championship game and qualifying for the U Sports national championship in Edmonton.
Carleton will take on their cross-town rival uOttawa Gee-Gees in the third meeting between the teams this season. They split the regular season series, with Carleton taking the more recent Colonel By Classic with a 78-72 win.
Despite the Ravens winning by 17 points, the Marauders kept the game extremely competitive until the last half of the fourth quarter when Carleton pulled away with the game.
Both teams traded points back and forth to begin the match, ending the first quarter with 23 points each. Ravens guards Pocrnic and Dorcas Buisa combined for 13 points to lead the early charge.
Carleton played some of their best basketball in the second quarter, scoring 26 points and holding the Marauders to just 16.
The Ravens’ defence was on full display as they forced their opponents to 30-per-cent shooting from beyond the arc and field goals made.
Coming out of the half trailing by 10 points, Marauders’ starting forward Amy Stinson was determined to cut the lead. She scored 15 of McMaster’s 27 third-quarter points, which put the Ravens on their heels.
However, Pocrnic showed resilience and leadership by putting down an incredible 18 third-quarter points of her own, ensuring that Carleton still led by five points at the end of the quarter.
By the fourth, it was anyone’s game as both teams played with a high level of intensity. About three minutes into the quarter, the Ravens’ lead was as little as four points, but the team quickly kicked their play into overdrive and dominated.
The Marauders’ offence failed to produce as Carleton’s defence held them to just 11 points in the final quarter. Carleton scored 23 points with Pocrnic collecting 12 of them, while Buisa and guard Teresa Donato combined for 11.
The Ravens now prepare to host the Gee-Gees on Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. at the Nest for a chance at the Critelli Cup.
Featured image by Anya Swettenham/The Charlatan.
