OTTAWA - The Carleton Ravens men's basketball team battled hard in the third quarter but couldn't overcome a twenty-point first-half deficit losing to Ontario Tech 85-69 on Friday night.
Ontario Tech came out firing quickly forcing the Ravens into eight first-quarter turnovers. As Carleton struggled to manage the ball, Ayub Narhussien took advantage scoring seven of the Ridgebacks' 21 points in the opening frame as they built an eight-point lead.
While Carleton found a rhythm in the second quarter shooting over forty percent, the visitors continued to put on a show shooting over 60% at the other end of the quarter. Nurhussien added another 7 points in the period while Levi Ogbonna scored 7 of his own to extend the lead. Wazir Latiff (Vaughan, Ont.) matched the visitors with 7 of his own points, but it couldn't carry the Ravens as they turned the ball over four more times and committed six fouls sending the Ridgebacks to the line where they went 5 for 6.
The Ravens exploded out of the break with some momentum, creating turnovers and points in transition but could only chip away at the Ontario Tech lead. Latiff would score another 7 points while Xavier Spencer (Calgary, Alta.) and Marjok Okado (Edmonton, Alta.) each added five points. Having cut into the Ridgebacks' lead the Ravens hoped to build momentum in the fourth but it wasn't to be.
Ayub Nurhussien would recover his earlier form for the visitors adding the final 8 of his game-high 26 while Carleton kept within one but couldn't close the gap.
The Ravens return to action on Saturday night when they host the Queen's Gaels at 8:00 p.m. The game is part of a double-header which will also see the top two women's teams in the OUA play at 6:00 p.m.
