Ravens top Ryerson in clash of top teams
The game lived up to expectations, for about three minutes. Then the top-ranked Carleton men's basketball Ravens broke a sweat, shifted into that gear otherwise known as unstoppable, and sent the third-ranked Ryerson Rams back to Toronto with sheepish grins, victims of a 91-73 loss on Saturday night at the Raven's Nest.
The Ravens drilled 17 treys, including 10 in the first half, as they improved their Ontario University Athletics record to 8-0 heading into the Christmas break and their standard stint in Florida, where they'll again work on their tans and practise, practise, practise.
Connor Wood drilled a pair of treys as the teams broke to a 6-6 draw. But after two stellar defensive rotations by Wood forced turnovers, a pair of steals from Thomas Scrubb and a trio of treys from Victor Raso, suddenly it was 29-15 after a quarter.
Wood drilled another bomb as the Ravens doubled up the Rams 36-18. Phillip Scrubb promptly added another and a free throw (for a rare four-point play) but the Rams kept attacking off the dribble, crashing the offensive glass and drawing fouls as they clawed within 11 before Wood and Philip Scrubb hit Carleton's ninth and 10th threes of the half to give the Ravens a 50-33 lead heading into the locker-room.
The Ravens were far more effective in their defensive boardwork in the second half, while Philip Scrubb did a masterful job of dictating the tempo, distributing the ball and handling the Rams' pressure as Carleton maintained a comfortable lead throughout the last half, never leading by less than 18. “We started hitting some shots early and everybody on the team got confidence from that,” said Wood, adding that the Ravens also benefited from a more aggressive effort on the boards in the second half.
Ravens coach Dave Smart said his players need to work on their intensity level. “We kind of play that kind of train-wreck basketball and it sort of deflates the energy. But we're decent at it because we take care of the ball.”
Smart added that Phillip Scrubb did a good of finding open shooters off penetration drives and pick-and-pops. “Once we stopped trying to go one-on-one on Kadeem Green in the post, we actually got some decent things offensively.”
Rams coach Roy Rana noted that “when teams shoot the three like that, it's tough. And they hurt us on key possessions but I'm pleased that our overall effort was better than it was (Friday) night (against the University of Ottawa).”
Thomas Scrubb paced the Ravens with a double-double, scoring 26 and nabbing 10 boards. Wood added 21, Raso 17 and Philip Scrubb 16, along with 12 assists.
Aaron Best led 6-2 Ryerson with 17. Adika Peter-McNeilly added 14, Jordon Gauthier 12, Bjorn Michaelsen 10 and Kadeem Green 10.
Across town, 8-0 UOttawa stomped 2-6 Toronto 86-60 as Johnny Berhanemeskel scored 27, Mike L'Africain 13 and Caleb Agada 10. Julian Clarke and Devin Johnson each notched 14 to pace the Varsity Blues.
In women's play, the Ravens stunned eighth-seeded Ryerson 63-58 with a dominant performance on the glass, while UOttawa dumped Toronto 63-57.
Although turnover-plagued, the Ravens rode solid post defence and box-outs, along with timely buckets in the blocks by Lindsey Suprunchuk and Lindsay Shotbolt, to a 29-26 lead at the half.
The Ravens extended their lead to 41-35 on patient ball movement and the free-throw shooting of Abeer Farhat but the Rams capitalized on questionable foul calls to rip off 10 unanswered points.
But the Ravens notched three enormous offensive rebounds, including putbacks by Suprunchuk and Heather Lindsey, while Stephanie Carr and Farhat drilled treys, as Carleton took command with a 12-0 run. “Our plan is always to defend and rebound, and it worked out for us (Saturday),” said Suprunchuk. “It was a great team effort.”