Ravens face Varsity Blues in OUA East Semi-Finals.
After earning a bye in the first round of the playoffs, the Carleton University Ravens women’s basketball team will host the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in the OUA East Semi-Final on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 3:00 p.m.
The Ravens finished the regular season at the top of the OUA East standings with a record of 18-4. It was the best finish in the history of the Carleton women’s basketball program. The Varsity Blues grabbed the last playoff spot, finishing in sixth place with an 11-11 record, 14 points back of the Ravens.
“Toronto has had a long history of success in this league and Michele [Belanger] does a wonderful job of getting them prepared to compete,” said Ravens head coach Taffe Charles. “We will definitely have our hands full with them on Saturday afternoon.”
Both match-ups against the Blues in the regular season ended in victory for the Ravens, with a 64-58 win in mid-January and a 73-55 win a few weeks later. Despite coming out on top in both games, the OUA East semi-final will be no easy contest, as UofT is riding a five game winning streak after upsetting the Queen’s University Gaels in the first round of the playoffs, 62-54.
“The first game that we played against them in Toronto that we won by six is much more of an indication of how tight the game will be,” said Charles. “The second game that we played against them, they did not have their best outside shooter and arguably their best perimeter defender and we got out to a huge lead in the first quarter. We will definitely need to be at our best to win this time around.”
The Ravens will have to watch out for Nicki Schutz (Toronto) who recorded her sixth consecutive double-double in the quarter-final game against Queen’s. The forward finished in the top three on the OUA scoreboard with 395 points, averaging 17.95 points per game.
On the other side, the Blues will have to work hard on the defensive end as Ravens top scorers Ashleigh Cleary (Kemptville, Ont.) and Alyson Bush (Ottawa) have both performed well against UofT this season.
Tickets for the semi-final contest are on sale now at the Alumni Hall Welcome Centre. They will also be available at the gate one hour before tipoff. For group ticket information, please contact Rob LeRoy (Robert_leroy@carleton.ca).
