The Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team began their season this past weekend, first topping Laurentian 76-67, then following up with a 78-43 victory over the Nipissing Lakers at the Ravens’ Nest.
The Ravens opened their season on Friday night in front of a roaring crowd. Heather Lindsay led the team offensively with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
A well-fought first quarter saw the Ravens fall behind by a score of 22-20. Defence became the focus of the second quarter with the team combining for only 23 points in the quarter, although Carleton emerged with a slim lead of 33-32. From there the Ravens never looked back, and were able to open the season with a victory.
“I think we executed what we wanted to do,” said Ravens head coach Taffe Charles. “We did a really good job at playing inside-out . . . Our defence probably could have been a bit better but we focused on getting the ball inside and when they took that away, then we made enough shots to win in the second half.”
The Ravens welcomed Nipissing to the court the following day and powered their way to another victory. Lindsay was once again the offensive catalyst for the Ravens, scoring 10 of her team high 29 points in the first quarter. The Ravens never trailed in the game en route to their second win of the season.
“Our main focus was to play inside-out and I thought we did a really good job of that,” Lindsay said. “When the double-team came inside, the guards were always open for the shot and they were hitting them, which was awesome. We shot the lights out tonight.”
Charles was most impressed with the defensive play of his team throughout the game.
“We did a great job defensively,” he said. “The first quarter, we really established ourselves, although the score wasn’t there it was still a tight game . . . Allowing nine points in the first quarter was something that indicated where we wanted to be, so we’re really happy with how we started.”
Next, the Ravens will aim to extend their undefeated start to the season in Guelph on Nov. 13.
