The Ravens women’s basketball team completed its two-game home stand this past weekend, splitting the games.
The women topped the Guelph Gryphons 66-59 on Jan. 16 before falling in a close game against the Lakehead Thunderwolves 52-40 on Jan. 17.
Ravens head coach Taffe Charles said his team played well for parts of both games.
“I thought that [Jan. 16], we played well for three quarters of the game,” Charles said. “The fourth we kind of relaxed, and it was closer than it should have been. On [Jan. 17], we just didn’t come out with the right level of urgency, or we just weren’t very good. I’m not sure.”
The loss to the Thunderwolves was bothering, he said.
“As a coach you want to put your finger on something to say that was the problem, but it just wasn’t meant to be,” Charles said.
“We found our urgency in the fourth quarter. But you’re always going to have those games.”
The win versus the Gryphons was due in large to the play of third-year forward Lindsay Shotbolt, who led the way with a game-high 22 points.
Although Guelph struck first in the game, the Ravens came out with a large lead in the first and second quarters, at one point having an 18-point lead.
Their early offence managed to be enough to hold off Guelph’s comeback attempt, as the Ravens were outscored 37-30 in the final quarters.
The Thunderwolves held the Ravens to their lowest point total this season, including two quarters of just four points.
Lakehead, the Ontario University Athletics Central division leaders, went into the fourth quarter with a commanding 28-point lead.
The Ravens didn’t give up, coming out strong in the final frame, outscoring their opponent 22-6.
The two games were the first back in the Nest for the Ravens since Nov. 29, where they defeated the Ryerson Rams. The women now hold a 6-5 record, good for second in the division behind the Gee-Gees.
Looking towards the rest of the season, Charles said he knows what they have to do.
“You’re always trying to find those right buttons, in order to get better. Right now it seems like we’re one step forward, one step back,” he said. “We now have the ability to experiment with the lines a little bit, so we’ll take the rest of the season to do that and find what works.”
The Ravens are now leaving the Nest again, this time for a long three-game, West division trip.
Their first game is Jan. 23 versus the powerful 9-1 Windsor Lancers.
