Hot off last year’s undefeated regular season, the Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team have stormed into 2025-26 with a 3-0 start, including a road win at Guelph and two victories at home over Nipissing and Laurentian.
“The OUA is tough, and there are really no nights off,” head coach Dani Sinclair said after Saturday’s win against Laurentian.
“We approach every game like it’s the most important game. It’s a long season, and the hope is that you continue to get better every day.”
On Friday night, the Ravens secured a 78–59 win over the Nipissing Lakers, setting them up for a resilient offensive display against the Voyageurs, where they won 61-45 at the Ravens’ Nest.
Carleton started strong, jumping ahead 14–11 in the first quarter. Fourth-year forward Jacqueline Urban added six points and five rebounds to help put the Ravens up 30–20 at the half.
“We want to play fast,” Sinclair said.
“It’s a big thing for us if we don’t communicate on defence. Less chaos on defence (and) more chaos on offence is the goal.”
The Voyageurs wouldn’t go down easily, holding their discipline to stifle the Ravens’ attempts on the net.
Outscoring Carleton 17–9 in the third quarter, Laurentian cut the lead to two thanks to a jump shot and five points from Cadence Pecore heading into the final quarter.
“I feel like it’s a game of momentum,” Ravens guard Kyana-Jade Poulin said.
“You just have to understand that a little bit better, how to not lose it and how to maintain it.”
Poulin swung that momentum back in Carleton’s favour early in the fourth, scoring a three pointer that allowed Carleton’s offence to break through. From there, Carleton locked in defensively, holding Laurentian to just eight points in the quarter.
Poulin and Urban secured a combined 36 points and 22 rebounds, carrying the team to the victory.
Sinclair shouted out both players, saying Poulin is “carrying our team” with her ball-handling skills. And Urban is “just a monster” at securing rebounds, she said.
“Hopefully …some of the other girls can feed off their leadership,” Sinclair added.
The Ravens will look to extend their winning streak on the road this week as they face Queen’s on Saturday and Ontario Tech on Sunday.
Featured image by Marc Lafleur/Carleton Ravens]
