Downtown drama
7-time national men's hoops champs need overtime to beat Brock at Meridian Centre
Two of Canada's top men's university basketball teams put on a thriller on the weekend in downtown St. Catharines.
Saturday night's clash of the titans between the first-ranked Carleton Ravens and second-ranked Badgers lived up to the hype as 3,296 boisterous fans at Meridian Centre were treated to an absolute thriller of a game.
When the dust settled, Carleton left the court with a 80-75 win in overtime, but the fourth quarter had more plot twists than a primetime drama.
Brock was down 19-14 after the first quarter and 39-31 at the half, but the home side came out flying in the third quarter outscoring the Ravens 19-14 to shrink the lead to three points.
Brock again outscored Carleton in the fourth quarter, this time taking the lead for the first time in the game early in the frame, and eventually opening the gap to six points sending the crowd into a full-on frenzy.
But the Ravens fought back to tie it at 66-66, sending the game to overtime where the visitors outscored Brock 14-9 for the 8075 win.
To Brock head coach Charles Kissi a loss is a loss, but when it's an overtime loss to the seven-time defending national champions, it's hard to be too upset.
“I think you saw it that we're right there, we just have to make fewer mistakes,” Kissi said after the game. “They're human. (Carleton) has had an incredible run with an incredible coach, but they're human.
“They put their pants on one leg at a time, like everyone else, and you have to approach the game that way. If you go into a game thinking you're going to lose, then you're going to.”
Brock, which drops to 9-2 after also losing to Ottawa Friday, was led by fourth-year forward Cassidy Ryan, who was on fire in the first quarter with eight points and finished the night with 20.
The Ravens improve to 10-0, but it’s the first game in the Ontario University Athletics season which they’ve won by fewer than 14 points, and the first time a team has pushed them to overtime this year.
That was no consolation to Ryan.
“It’s a loss, I’m not satisfied with that,” he said. “I think we played pretty well, but we made a lot of mistakes down the stretch, which cost us the game.”
Dani Elgadi had 16 points for Brock, Daniel Cayer had 11 and Johneil Simpson had 10. Yasliin Joseph led Carleton with 17.
“I feel really good about how good we are,” Kissi said. “I just think to try and get to the next level, we have to make fewer mistakes.”
Ravens 60, Badgers 41
In the women’s game that tipped off Saturday night’s doubleheader at the downtown arena, the Badgers got off to a great start, but didn’t have an answer for the powerful Carleton shooters.
Brock’s third loss in a row dropped the team’s record to 4-7. The Ravens improved to 10-0.
“We’re so young and being consistent is a struggle,” Badgers head coach Ashley McSporran said. “Carleton is a beast so holding them to 60 points is a small victory.
“They’re learning and I’m being patient with them because I believe in them. I’m asking them to do things that are a little outside of their comfort zone. We’ll get there.”
Kristin Gallant and Baelie Campbell were the top scores for Brock with nine and eight points, respectively. Heather Lindsay led Carleton with 15.
Campbell said the atmosphere in Meridian Centre helped, but that her team needs to perform regardless of where it plays.
“Our team really feeds off the energy our fans give us,” she said. “I think it’s just a matter of us executing better. That comes with time. We’re a young team.”
Gee-Gees 78, Badgers 69
After trailing 45-35 in the third quarter, the Ottawa Gee-Gees put together two 10-0 scoring runs and one 7-1 run on their way to handing Brock its first loss of the men’s university basketball regular season.
Friday night’s come-from-behind win before a soldout crowd at Bob Davis Gymnasium was the fourth in a row for ninth-ranked Ottawa, now 7-2 in Ontario University Athletics (OUA).
A season-low 4.8 per cent success rate in three-point attempts, 1-for21, contributed to Brock’s first loss after starting the regular season with nine wins.
The Gee-Gees, in comparison, drained 11 of their 39 attempts from beyond the three-point arc to finish the game with a 28.2 per cent shooting efficiency.
Brock shot 37.9 per cent from the floor, 25-for-66, and 81.8 per cent from the free-throw line, 18for-22. Ottawa was 36.5 per cent from the floor, 27-for-74 and 50 per cent from the free-throw line,
13-of-26.
The Badgers outrebounded their visitors 49-36
Dani Elgadi, 26 points, 11 rebounds, both game highs; Daniel Cayer, 13 points, 10 rebounds; and Cassidy Ryan, 11 points, six rebounds; scored in double digits for Brock.
Sean Stoqua, Calvin Espitola and Kenny Jean-Louis led seven-time defending national champion Carleton with 21, 16 and 10 points, respectively.
Gee-Gees 68, Badgers 55
Visiting Ottawa outshot Brock by a wide margin, nearly double, in women’s university basketball Friday night in St. Catharines.
In two-point attempts, the GeeGees drained 36.3 per cent of their shots, finishing the game 29-for80, while the Badgers shot 27.8 per cent, 15-for-54.
Ottawa also won the rebounding battle, 46-41, to improve to 4-5.
Stephanie Findlay led the Badgers, and all players, with 23 points and her season-high 18 rebounds were also the most in the interconference game.
Rookie Kristin Gallant and Ana Caldeira Rua added 17 and seven points, respectively, for Brock.
Bridget Lefebvre, 21 points, 10 rebounds; recorded a doubledouble for the Gee-Gees.