The Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team went 0-for-2 in their first two Can-Am Shootout games.
An exhibition series between Carleton and various teams from the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), the Ravens first faced the Abilene Christian Wildcats from the NCAA Division 1 on Aug. 10, losing 75-67.
The Ravens took a 18-15 lead in the first, led by forward Nicole Gilmore’s eight points in the opening quarter. The Wildcats took control in the second however, and they had a commanding 41-25 lead by halftime.
Carleton fought back and managed to take the lead back early in the fourth quarter, but Abilene Christian managed to close out the game convincingly, no doubt in part to senior forward Suzzy Dimba’s nine points in the final quarter.
Elizabeth Leblanc of the Ravens had a team high 18 points along with seven rebounds in the loss, while her teammate GIlmore was named the Ravens player of the game.
The Ravens lost another close game on Aug. 13 against the Seton Hall Pirates, their second game of three in the Can-Am Shootout.
Carleton lead 37-28 at halftime thanks to strong performances by newcomers Jenjen Abella from Mohawk College and Catherine Traer from the University of Ottawa. Abella scored five points in the first quarter with her relentless drives to the basket, while Traer scored seven in the second to push Carleton’s lead.
After going into the fourth quarter up by ten, the Ravens fell apart, shooting just 25 per cent from the field in the final ten minutes. With just 12.9 seconds left in the game, Seton Hall guard Deja Winters hit a triple to put the Pirates up by one, and the Ravens lost the game with a final score of 67-64.
Carleton forward Heather Lindsay’s huge performance was a silver lining for the Ravens, as she finished with 21 points and 17 rebounds.
“It always nice to face different teams than the ones in the Ontario University Association (OUA), and even in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), to give us a chance to adapt to different styles of play,” Lindsay said. “As the years go on, the gap between the CIS and NCAA is definitely closing in terms of overall skill which is positive for the CIS. Traditionally the American schools are very athletic as well as skilled and that’s definitely what we faced over the last couple games”
Looking toward the season, Lindsay says there is definitely a lot to work on.
“But there were lots of positives shown as well,” Lindsay said. “Going into this year we have lots of veteran players that have experience in the CIS which is definitely a strength. We definitely expect lots of people to step up and play some big roles.
“With Lindsay Shotbolt fully back from her ACL injury we will have a lot of depth in the post.” she said of her team. “Our two transfer players, Traer and Abella, will step up and fill big roles in our guard spots. Stephanie Carr and Nicole Gilmore will be joining them on the wings, and our lock down defender is Elizabeth “Becky” Leblanc. Overall we are looking strong.”
The Ravens will open their season on Sep. 24 against Collège Montmorency at the Raven’s Nest.
