Ravens edge out Marauders in tight defensive battle 55-54 to advance to Critelli Cup

KINGSTON, Ont. (March 3, 2017) - The second-seeded Carleton Ravens took down the third-seeded McMaster Marauders 55-54 from the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. 

OUA Bronze: Saturday, 6 pm Queen's ARC | Tickets

OUA Gold: Saturday, 8 pm Queen's ARC | Tickets 

The Ravens now advance to the OUA Critelli Cup where they will meet the first-seed Queen's Gaels. 

"We've been grinding it out all year," said Ravens head coach Taffe Charles. "We're used to being the grinders, and I guess we are comfortable in the grind. They are an awesome team, a great offensive team and it took every ounce of energy we had tonight." 

The Ravens saw a strong performance from Heather Lindsay in the post as she lit up the stat sheet with 20 points, six rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals. Danielle Boiago posted a game-high 26-points for the Marauders in a defensive battle. 

"I thought we fought hard defensively and that was our focus tonight," said Lindsay after the win. "They are a great team, first (U SPORTS) in the country, they work hard and are great offensively, so our focus was to get great defensive stops and rebounding." 

The first half started off with a defensive battle between the Marauders and Ravens, but the stars of each side were able to shine when they could. 

OUA MVP and defensive player of the year, Danielle Boiago hit two of her first five shots playing all 10 minutes in the opening frame while Heather Lindsay controlled the post game for Carleton with six points. The Marauders held a 14-13 lead after the opening quarter. 

The second quarter saw the Carleton defence pick up the pace as the Marauders shot just 2-16 from the floor and 1-6 from beyond the arc. 

For the Ravens, Catherine Traer scored all seven of her first-half points in the second frame pushing the Ravens ahead 30-22 at the break. 

In the second half, Boiago wasn't about to have her team go down without a fight. The fifth-year senior hit back-to-back triples in the third and the Marauders were able to come from behind and put themselves ahead deep into the quarter. 

Boiago had 13 of her 26 points in the frame but the Ravens turned things around late, and an Amanda Niyonkuru basket gave them a one-point advantage heading into the fourth. 

The Ravens defence continued to slow the game and grind down the Marauder attack. McMaster shot just 23.5% in the final frame, and it was Carleton lead by Heather Lindsay who had six of the Ravens 15 fourth quarter points that had the edge late. 

The Marauders were down just one point with the final possession, but their attempt was off the rim and out, giving the Ravens the victory 55-54.

The Ravens will now advance to the OUA Critelli Cup Championship tomorrow night at 8 pm at the Queen's ARC. Carleton will meet the host Gaels while McMaster will take on Windsor for the OUA bronze medal at 6 pm