Marquee Matchup: Gee-Gees top Ravens in back-to-back thrillers to sweep Capital Hoops Classic

Ottawa (via Ottawa Gee-Gees) - It was a double dose of victory for the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Friday, as both their women's and men's teams had themselves a Capital Hoops Classic to remember. 

The nationally second-ranked Gee-Gees women’s basketball team won the 13th edition of the Capital Hoops Classic in a nail-biter, defeating the ninth-ranked Carleton Ravens by a 77-75 score on Friday evening at TD Place before a crowd of 8,103.

“We really struggled to guard them tonight from pretty much every position,” said Gee-Gees head coach Andy Sparks. “We switched to zone in the fourth quarter and they didn’t get as much penetration into the key. That was probably the difference in the game.”

The Gee-Gees improved to 5-8 all-time in the Capital Hoops Classic, winning the annual tournament for the second straight year. This was the first year the event was held at TD Place.

Carleton took command of the game from the outset, with the Ravens jumping out to an 8-0 lead on a Kali Pocmic three with 7:26 left in the opening frame.

Ottawa trailed 18-12 at the end of the first quarter, but the shots began to fall for the Gee-Gees. Tyra Blizzard and Natsuki Szczokin both hit threes, giving the Gee-Gees their first lead with 5:40 left in the second quarter.

The Ravens held on to lead 40-37 at the half with Madison Reid pacing all-scorers with 11 points. The Gee-Gees were heating up behind a 10-point first half performance from Angela Ribarich.

The game continued to be a tight, back-and-forth affair in the third quarter, with neither team leading by double-digits down the stretch.

The Ravens continued to hit shots to keep their rivals at arms length, as Carleton led by five entering the final quarter.

A clutch shot from Szczokin and a lay-up in transition from McAlear-Fanus gave Ottawa their second lead of the game with 2:53 remaining. Ribarich earned an and-one inside the final minute to allow the Gee-Gees to seal the game at the free throw line.

“It was wild. It was one of those games that was once-in-a-lifetime,” said Ribarich. “It’s an amazing feeling to come away from it with a win. They’re a really good team, Carleton, there’s a ton of respect between us as much as it’s a rivalry.”

Ribarich scored a game-high 24 points tying her career-high in an OUA game. McAlear-Fanus recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists, finishing just shy of a triple-double with eight rebounds. Tyra Blizzard rounded out Ottawa’s double-digit scorers with 14 points and five rebounds.

Reid led the Ravens with 21 points, while Alyssa Cerino added 15 points and seven rebounds on the night.

“We felt when the game came into this location that the environment would be even better,” said Sparks. “This facility is ideal for this game. You could feel the energy and you could feel the Gee-Gees support.”

The Gee-Gees (now 18-2) remain in first place in the OUA East division, while Carleton (13-7) stay in second.

The fun continues in the second half of the double-header with the men's teams hitting the court next. 

Ottawa’s Calvin Epistola hit two clutch free throws in the final minute to give the Gee-Gees men’s basketball team a thrilling 68-67 win in the Capital Hoops Classic over the number one-ranked and undefeated Carleton Ravens in front of 8,103 fans at the Arena at TD Place Friday evening.

“It’s big for our program,” said Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin. “We’ve made adjustments to our program and to our style of play, knowing how it was going before wasn’t getting us where we wanted to go. It’s vindicating, we’re on the right path by being able to hang there with an undefeated, number one team in the country.”

The win is Ottawa’s third all-time in the Capital Hoops Classic, snapping a three-year Carleton winning streak. With the women’s team winning their matchup earlier in the evening, 2020 was first time Gee-Gees swept the annual showcase.

The Garnet and Grey showed off their range in the opening quarter, draining an early trio of threes. Despite five points from both Sean Stoqua and Epistola, Carleton led by two at the end of the opening quarter.

There was nothing to separate the teams in the second quarter, with Carleton accounting for just two points during a four-minute stretch. The game was knotted at 34 at halftime.  

Ottawa took charge of the matchup in the third quarter, outscoring the Ravens 16-10 in the frame. The Gee-Gees scored by committee, with Gage Sabean and Guillaume Pépin carrying the load. The teams hit a dry spell midway through the third however, with neither squad able to make a basket for nearly four minutes.

The game’s most unexpected moment came early in fourth quarter, when Marlon Kordrostami banked in a catch-and-release three-pointer. It was the 6-10 centre’s first career make from beyond the arc and came with just 0.9 seconds left on the shot clock. 

Shortly thereafter, the Ravens stormed back to erase an 11-point Ottawa lead. Behind some timely shooting spearheaded by Isiah Osborne and Yasiin Joseph, Carleton looked to have the Gee-Gees on the ropes late in the game.

The tide shifted in the waning minutes when the fifth-year Epistola took over, making a crucial lay-up in traffic inside the final minute, resorting a one-point lead for the Gee-Gees.

When Osborne responded at the line for the Ravens at the other end, Epistola attacked the rim again, drawing a foul and nailing both free throws. The Ravens then missed several opportunities in close in the feverish dying seconds, sending a boisterous Gee-Gees crowd into delirium.

“I felt good and I knew I had to put the squad on the back,” said Epistola. “We always knew we had the ability. TD [Place] did a great job. It was the best experience in my five years for sure.”

Pépin led the Gee-Gees in scoring with 15 points and six rebounds. Epistola packed a stat-line of 14 point, six rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Kordrostami tallied 12 points and had a game-high eight rebounds as the Gee-Gees outrebounded their rival for the second time this season.

For the Ravens, Osborne had a game-high 21 points and five rebounds, while Joseph tallied a near identical 20 points and five rebounds.

“I thought he struggled with the turnovers and was forcing it into tight places,” said Derouin of Epistola’s performance early. “At the end of the day, when Carleton made their run, it was him who steadied the ship.”

The Gee-Gees (now 16-4) hold steady in second place in the OUA East. Carleton (19-1) were handed their first loss of the year, but still sit comfortably in first.