The opponents are locked in, the matchups are set, and now Carleton Ravens basketball can set its sights on Saturday's OUA Quarterfinals doubleheader at the Nest.
The women's basketball team will open the evening at 6:00 PM with a matchup against Guelph. The Gryphons finished just behind Carleton in fifth, setting up what promises to be a spirited contest.
The Ravens (16-6) took down Guelph (16-6) in the season opener, a win which proved pivotal to Carleton securing the bye and home court on Saturday. Guelph led that late October matchup by 13 after a quarter before Carleton rallied to outscore their hosts 49-33 in the final three quarters.
Guelph's Hannah Bourdon had 22 points, and Alexis Wright had 15 for the Gryphons on that night, and it comes as no surprise that they led Guelph in scoring in Wednesday's first-round win over Waterloo. Carleton will look to combat Guelph's veterans with a youthful line-up headlined by fourth-year guards Kyana-Jade Poulin and Jacqueline Urban, who are both red hot. The pair each passed 1,000 career points on Friday night before helping the Ravens capture a come-from-behind win to close out their regular season Saturday at Nipissing.
The Ravens men's team (17-5) looks to build off their 39-point win over Nipissing on Saturday when they host Lakehead (12-10). The two teams previously met at the end of January, with the Ravens coming away with a 71-64 win.
In that January meeting, Lakehead had the lead with 50 seconds to play in the third before Carleton jumped ahead 51-50. Lakehead clawed within two multiple times in the fourth before a pair of baskets from Emanuel Milon and MJ Okado late in the third made it a six-point game.
Lakehead enter the quarters after an 8-point win over Laurentian. Leading by one at the half, the Thunderwolves outscored the Voyageurs 25-14 in the third on 13 points from Chris Sagl, including a string of 3-6 shooting from beyond the arc. OUA leading scorer Harold Santacruz leads the Thunderwolves depth. The Spaniard was held to just 12 points on Wednesday, 10 below his 22.3 points per game average.
Tickets for the OUA Quarterfinals doubleheader, which includes both games, start as low as $5 for students.
