OTTAWA - The Carleton Ravens women's basketball team looks to do something that hasn't been achieved since 2015 when they aim to secure their third consecutive Critelli Cup on Saturday evening.
Despite having played over 120 times in their history, it will be the first time the two teams have ever met in the OUA Final. Over the last two years it's been a back-and-forth battle between the two clubs with the Gee-Gees sitting higher in the U SPORTS Top 10 to open the season before the Ravens finished the season with seven straight weeks at number one.
In two meetings this season, the Ravens have won both, winning by a wide margin in January before overcoming a wide deficit at the half of the Capital Hoops Classic in February to win 58-54. Ottawa's last win over the Ravens came in December 2023, at Montpetit Hall. In recent playoff action, the Ravens were victorious in last year's OUA Semifinal with a massive 75-51 win after squeezing out an OUA Quarterfinal victory in 2022 with a 61-58 win.
Despite the closeness of the rivalry, Carleton and Ottawa haven't gone to overtime since 2012. The two teams have never faced off in overtime in the playoffs.
All-Stars on Display: First team All-Stars Jacqueline Urban (Carleton) and Natsuki Szczokin (Ottawa) will be major factors in Saturday's game. Sczokin's 89 steals were tops in U SPORTS, while Urban hauled in 189 rebounds and averaged 13.8 points per game.
Depth for Days: The strength of the 2024-25 Carleton Ravens is their depth. For Carleton to be successful, it will require many stars to rise to the top. Look for second-team all-star Kyana-Jade Poulin, Dorcas Buisa, Tatyanna Burke, and the Ravens' incredibly deep guard room to be a major factor in the team's outcome on Saturday.
The Carleton Ravens could be the first team to win a third straight championship since Windsor accomplished the feat in 2015. On the other hand, the visitors from Ottawa are looking for their third title all-time. The Gee-Gees last OUA Championship was won in 2012.
A limited number of tickets for Saturday's contest will be released on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.
