Traer, Ravens earn key road win over rival Gee-Gees

OTTAWA, ON — The Carleton Ravens women's basketball team moved to 9-1 on the season with a pivotal 57-50 win over cross-town rival uOttawa on Tuesday evening at Montpetit Hall.

BOX SCORE

A scrappy brand of basketball entertained the sold out crowd in attendance, as Ravens star Catherine Traer (Chelsea, QC) torched her former team with a game-high 20 points (7-11 FG) to go along with four rebounds and two blocks.

The Ravens and Gee-Gees players fed off of the energy generated by the fans in the first quarter, as both team teams got physical in a tenacious ten minutes of competition. Despite the hostile environment, Carleton shot 42.9% (6-14 FG) in the first and managed to grab a 16-13 advantage after one. Playing against the Gee-Gees for the first time, Ravens forward Catherine Traer carried the scoring load with five of her nine first-half points in the early going.

In the second, Carleton went ahead by as many as eight points, but the Gee-Gees proved relentless by keeping up with the Ravens throughout the first half. Carleton outscored the Gee-Gees, 15-11, in the period, making 8 of 8 shots from the free throw line. The Ravens, who split their two head-to-head meetings with the Gee-Gees last season, took a 31-25 score into the half.

Following the intermission, the Ravens broke away from uOttawa with some excellent ball movement. However, with Carleton holding a 10-point lead, the Gee-Gees once again showed their fighting spirit by trimming the deficit to four points with only seconds left to play in the third. The Ravens made a quick inbounds pass to forward Elizabeth Leblanc (London, ON), who sprinted downcourt before sinking a running floater in double coverage at the buzzer to give Carleton a 43-37 advantage after three.

The Ravens and Gee-Gees battled for every inch in the final quarter as a gritty, defensive display had both teams slugging it out until the very end. Consecutive scores by Steph Carr (Stittsville, ON) and Heather Lindsay (Ottawa, ON) put the Ravens on top by nine points with 2:55 to play in regulation. Ottawa made one last scoring push down the stretch, closing the gap to six on a Sarah Besselink three pointer, but crucial free throws converted by the Ravens in the final minute would propel the visitors to victory.

Carleton did an excellent job stopping the uOttawa offence, holding the Gee-Gees to 30.2% from the floor. The Ravens also received standout interior defence from Heather Lindsay, whose five blocked shots tied a career-high. The fourth-year forward also added eight points and six rebounds in the win.

The Gee-Gees held Carleton's offence in check for most of the contest as well, but the Ravens made the most of their chances from the charity stripe, sinking 17 of 19 (89.5%) attempts at the line.

The two teams will not have to wait long for another meeting on the hardwood, as the Ravens and Gee-Gees are scheduled to meet for a tenth time in the Capital Hoops Classic on February 3 at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Coming up next for Carleton is a weekend home set against Guelph (January 20) and Lakehead (January 21) at the Ravens' Nest.

Source: Carleton Ravens