Carleton tops U of O 63-43 in lackluster classic
The Capital Hoops Classic looked a bit different this time around. Rather than packing TD Place with Gee-Gees and Ravens fans, the game was played at Ravens’ Nest on Friday night.
In what was a much quieter edition of the annual rivalry matchup, the University of Ottawa women’s basketball team were looking to defend their title and add a third game to their Capital Hoops win streak.
Coming off a win at home against Queen’s University, the Gees (7-1) did not lack confidence in the opening quarter against the Carleton Ravens (6-2) who dropped their most recent games to York University.
After a historic weekend, it was no surprise that Brigitte Lefebvre-Okankwu was huge for the Garnet and Gray to start, finding the basket from inside the paint to get the first set of points on the board.
Carleton point guard Kali Pocrnic wasted no time, responding to the Gees points with a pair of sneaky layups.
The U of O was first to go on a run, but even a clean shot from behind the three-point line by Savannah Provo was not enough to keep the Ravens down for long.
Carleton was able to keep things close, ending the first quarter 20-14 Ottawa.
The second quarter lacked the scoring seen in the first, and this time it was Carleton who put up points early on.
Halfway through the second, a three pointer by Carleton tied things up at 20.
The Gees did not give up the lead despite Carleton’s full court pressure forcing four consecutive turnovers.
After a timeout call, Provo dialed in for her fourth three pointer of the game.
On their next drive down the court, Alana Renon fired her own shot from beyond the arch to make it 31-22 for the Gee-Gees in the last two minutes of the half.
Outside of a couple of free throws, the Gee-Gees did not give the Ravens much of an opportunity to close the gap before the buzzer signaled the end of the half.
Going into the third quarter, the U of O had a 31-26 lead.
Whatever the Ravens discussed at halftime definitely made a difference.
Tatyanna Burke was the one to tie things up for Carleton, drawing the foul and making the first of her free throws.
The Raven’s took the lead on the next possession, then a throwaway by the Gee-Gees led to a made three pointer at the hands of a Carleton shooter.
Throughout the third, the Gees struggled to find success against the Ravens’ defense.
Nadine Katumbayi was the player to break the Ravens scoring streak with a jumper, she followed it with a layup to bring the game back in reach.
Pocrnic didn’t allow the Gee-Gees to regain their composure, shooting a three over the head of her defender and extending the Ravens lead to 44-35.
Unfortunately, the Gees continued to give away points, ending the quarter with a 13 point deficit.
With ten minutes of play remaining, the Gee-Gees needed to clean things up.
It didn’t look great. The Gee-Gees were given few opportunities to score, Renon from the three point line and Emily Payne playing large in the post were about all the Gees could create while Carleton kept running up the score.
With 59-42 on the board in favour of the Ravens, it was clear the game had gotten away from the U of O.
At the final buzzer, a score of 63-43 was on the board, marking the end of the Gee-Gees Capital Hoops Classic win streak.
The U of O falls to a 7-2 record, and will look ahead to next weekend where they’ll take on the undefeated Ryerson Rams.
