The Carleton Ravens suffered a tough 69-56 loss on Jan. 16 at the Ravens’ Nest to their crosstown rivals from the University of Ottawa (U of O).
Julia Soriano, U of O’s senior point guard, had a career night, dropping 23 points to lead the Gee-Gees offensively. Carleton is now two games back of U of O for first place in the North Division.
The Ravens were bothered by the Gee-Gees’ stifling defence, turning the ball over 15 times, which led to 18 points for the opposing team.
Turnovers were not the only problem caused by U of O’s defence, as the Ravens shot only 25 per cent from the field in the first half.
The Ravens put up a season-low 24 points in the first half and trailed by nine points at the break. Carleton’s top scorer, Heather Lindsay, was held to just four points.
In the third quarter, the Ravens chipped away at the lead. Stephanie Carr and Lindsey Suprunchuk cut the lead to six following a 7-0 run at the 6:36 mark. However, missed opportunities halted the comeback as the Ravens trailed by eight points going into the fourth.
The Gee-Gees then took complete command in the fourth much to the dismay of the rowdy fans at the Ravens’ Nest.
Soriano, who came into the game only averaging nine points per game, capped off her incredible night hitting a three off of the dribble with 1:48 left. The three-pointer put the Gee-Gees up 11 points and served as the dagger in any attempt of a Ravens’ comeback.
Soriano a 5’2” senior, nailed a season-high six three pointers, causing headaches for the Ravens the entire night.
On the other side of the court, Carleton was lead by Suprunchuk who recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
Carr also provided a spark for a team that was struggling to hit jumpers all night. Carr went three of four from downtown and was the Ravens’ only other double-digit scorer, with 11 points.
The Ravens will have a chance to seek their revenge Feb. 5 at the MNBA Capital Hoops Classic in Kanata.
In the meantime, the Ravens will head to Toronto next weekend to face off against the Ryerson Rams, and the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.
The Rams are currently the premier of the OUA, and rank second in the nation. The game will take place at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in downtown Toronto on Jan. 22.
