The Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team extend their win streak to 11-games, as they defeated the Guelph Gryphons by a score of 75-67 on Jan. 20 at the Ravens’ Nest, then beat the Lakehead Thunderwolves the following night by a score of 68-65.
Heading into the games, the Ravens found themselves at the top of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) North division, while Guelph and Lakehead were the bottom two teams in the OUA Central.
Against the Gryphons, the Ravens struggled to establish momentum, as they had 13 turnovers in the first half alone.
The Gryphons were able to take advantage of some of Carleton’s mistakes, though the Ravens were still able to hold an eight point lead at halftime.
Ravens forward Heather Lindsay had a strong performance in the second half, as she scored 14 of Carleton’s 39 points, and added 13 rebounds. Elizabeth Leblanc stepped up for Carleton as well, as she was 4-for-4 from three point range, and scored 20 points.
Event thought the Ravens came out with the win, Ravens head coach Taffe Charles said he was not impressed with the performance of his team.
“I didn’t consider the game successful, I thought we played very poorly,” he said. “[Guelph] wanted it more and came out with more energy.”
Ravens guard Jenjen Abella returned to the line-up for Carleton after missing time with an injury. Abella scored 14 points in the game, while adding two rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
“She runs the show as our starting point guard,” Charles said.
Carleton faced an unfamiliar situation against Lakehead, when they found themselves trailing at the half for the first time this season.
Lakehead held a 43-31 lead over the Ravens, and were able to make 50 per cent of their shots from field goal range.
The Ravens had seven turnovers in the half, and only shot 33.3 per cent from field goal range.
Carleton began their comeback in the third quarter, where they tightened their defence and ball control. Their defence has able to create nine turnovers in the second half and shut down Lakehead to only nine points in the third quarter.
The offensive push was led by Leblanc, who scored 18 points of the 37 scored in the second half.
Back-to-back three point shots in the third quarter from Leblanc and Karyne Jolicoeur put the Ravens in the lead. Once they had the lead, the Ravens focused on shutting down Thunderwolves forward Bridget O’Reilly, who only scored one point in the second half following 12 points in the first.
The Ravens were able to squeak out a 68-65 victory, and following the game, Charles said he is hoping a break in action might give his team time to heal and practice.
“We’ve had four games in eight days and I think that has taken a toll,” he said.
The Ravens will return to the hardwood on Jan. 27 when they travel to Windsor to take on the Lancers.
– Photo by Trevor Swann
