OTTAWA (Feb. 23, 2026) - The Carleton Ravens will host Toronto in the 2026 OUA semifinals after downing the Lakehead Thunderwolves 73-58 on Saturday night.
The game will be most remembered for a fire alarm in the fourth quarter, which caused an evacuation of the Ravens' Nest. The alarm came after the Ravens had begun to pull away; the delay still put a damper on a fantastic night of basketball at the Nest.
Carleton started strong, building a 25-14 lead before Lakehead rallied in the second to trail by only 7 at the half.
Dylan Kayijuka had 11 first-half points for the Ravens before finishing the game with a team and game-high 15. Cedric Mbiaba and MJ Okado also hit double digits for the Ravens, with Mbiaba recording a 13-point and 10-rebound double-double.
Lakehead would bring the game to within two points late in the third off a triple from Nishaan Singh, but a quick response three from Tyler Brown swung the game in Carleton's favour heading to the fourth.
Cedric Mbiaba scored a pair of buckets in the paint midway through the fourth that solidified the Ravens' lead before Nelson Cilien hit a three to put Carleton up by 8 as the fire alarms began to blare. When the Ravens returned to the court, they would go on to run away with the contest, outscoring Lakehead 13-4 in the final three minutes.
The Ravens return to action on Wednesday with a chance to clinch a spot in the 2026 U SPORTS Final 8 in Calgary. Carleton hosts Toronto, which is coming off a pair of upsets, beating Queen's and Western on the road. The Varsity Blues were .500 in the regular season, but have found their form with a pair of wins over Top 10-ranked opponents in the playoffs.
The Ravens downed the Varsity Blues by 30 in the regular season, but can overlook the strides the visitors have taken down the stretch. Toroto has won three straight, after finishing the regular season with a 10-point win over Lakehead. Nigel Hylton had a career afternoon in the team's win over Western on Saturday, posting career highs with 30 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals in 39 minutes. He also had 15 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double.
