Guelph, Ont. - A new era of Ravens basketball kicked off Saturday night with a gritty 89-84 victory over the Guelph Gryphons.
The Ravens men's basketball team looked drastically different from last season's championship team, but one thing was glaring similar as the Ravens took the game one possession at a time, never looking panicked despite a series of lead changes midway through the game.
After leading 23-16 at the end of the first, Carleton saw Guelph storm back in the second quarter to take a narrow lead into the second half.
Carleton started to find their flow in the third, showing a more established defensive form, the Ravens began to frustrate the Gryphons creating turnovers and generating a number of blocks inside. The Ravens combo of Emmanuel Ugbah and Emanuel Milon was a force inside for Carleton while newcomers Augustas Brazdeikis and Noah Simpson each scored 8 points in their OUA debuts.
Still trailing at the start of the fourth quarter, Carleton found a rhythm behind the hot hand of Aubrey Dorey-Havens. Dorey-Havens continuously earned his way to the line, while shooting 3-4 from the floor, to add six of seven from the charity stripe for 13 points in the final quarter. In his first action of the season, Wazir Latiff was impressive off the bench for Carleton, playing 8 minutes in the final quarter and adding five points and a pair of rebounds.
The Ravens travel South for the weekend for a pair of games at Western and Windsor.
The Ravens open the home half of their 2023-24 season when they host Brock and Lakehead on November 17 and 18 in the Home Opener Weekend presented by McKeen Metro Glebe.
