The Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team suffered a 98-64 loss to FSU in its second Can-Am Shootout game. The loss puts the Ravens at an 0-2 record for its pre-season journey.
Carleton won the tip-off to start the game but immediately had to face the challenge at hand. FSU’s players quickly challenged the ball, cut off passing lanes and swallowed rebounds. FSU dominated under the net, snatching 35 of the game’s 46 rebounds.
Carleton fouled twice early, giving FSU the first points of the game. FSU came out with a 6-0 lead.
The Ravens woke up and fought back with hustle and good defensive positioning. Nearing the halfway point of the opening quarter, they pulled themselves back within two. FSU led 11-9.
That, however, was the closest the Ravens would make it.
FSU guard Caleb Mills showed off his skills early on with a lethal posterizer. He followed that up by picking off the inbound and dunking again to extend FSU’s lead. FSU doubled Carleton’s point count in the first quarter and kept pace in the second quarter. Mills continued to dominate and had 18 points before the end of the second quarter.
At the half, FSU led 54-35.
The third quarter was more of the same from the second quarter: FSU dominated entirely. They reacted quicker than the Ravens, grabbed loose balls and were stronger under the net.
Experienced Carleton guard Aiden Warnholtz looked good at times, often directing play. However, many of his passes were picked off and sent the other way.
Warnholtz only shot 2-12 from within the three-point line. With several experienced Carleton players sidelined, Warnholtz was carrying a bigger role.
“Aiden … shot the ball well on Saturday and didn’t shoot the ball well today,” Ravens head coach Taffe Charles said. “Because they’re playing a pile of minutes and asked to do a lot … they’re working awfully hard, so they don’t get the cleanest looks.”
Play improved for the tired Ravens in the fourth, but it was clear FSU was taking their foot off the gas and playing their less experienced players.
Charles said size played a major factor in FSU’s advantage. Marjok Okado noted after the game that he’d never played against someone as tall as FSU’s 7’4” centre Naheem McLeod. McLeod proved effective at blocking shots and beating Carleton under the nets.
“[Our] guys, they don’t know how to use angles,” Charles said. He explained that Carleton’s players are used to being the tallest on the court. Playing against a team with a serious size advantage was a challenge. It highlighted “all the bad habits” his players have.
The Ravens learned a lesson on what it now takes to compete with the top teams at the collegiate level. Carleton will fly to the Bahamas later this week to play Kentucky on Saturday.
Featured image by L. Manuel Baechlin.
