OTTAWA KNOCKS OFF CARLETON IN THE RAVENS NEST
Fourth-year forward Curtis Shakespeare was a monster in and around the paint at both ends, finishing with 14 points and nine boards, including four on the offensive glass. He also hit the clinching free throw with seven seconds remaining, giving Ottawa a four-point cushion before Carleton's Ryan Bell hit a three-pointer at the buzzer. Marko Jovic shook off early foul trouble by scoring nine of his 11 points in the second half for Ottawa (12-1 in OUA East, 23-7 overall, 22-5 vs. CIS).
"Tonight our seniors, led by Teti, willed us to victory", said Gee-Gees head coach Dave DeAveiro. "Curtis played as strong as he ever has inside, Marko and Alex made big shots, Sean (Peter) made two critical hoops in transition and, of course, Teti was unbelievable guarding probably the most dangerous scorer in the country in Oz (Carleton's Osvaldo Jeanty) and then made a big shot at the end. Tonight's victory was a tremendous team effort but it is only one game and we have to bounce back quickly in a couple of days against a potentially dangerous Queen's team."
Both teams struggled in the first seven minutes but the remainder of the game was played at Nationals-like intensity with every possession being important. As usual, the Gee-Gees relied on their "D" to stay in the game in a first half in which they shot just 35.3 per cent. But they were able to cause seven Carleton turnovers and grab five offensive rebounds to take a one-point halftime lead at 27-26 on a buzzer-beating put-back by 6'9" Dax Dessureault. McLeod scored eight points including two threes during an 8-1 Ottawa run that gave the Gee-Gees their largest lead of the half at 21-16 with 7:25 remaining. But Carleton's 6'7" sophomore Aaron Doornekamp (19 points, seven rebounds, five assists), arguably the toughest match-up in the CIS with his combination of size, perimeter ability and post-up skills, went to work for the Ravens, leading a 10-2 run that gave Ravens a 26-23 lead. But 6'3" sophomore Sean Peter (eight points) posted up for a bucket inside and Dessureault followed up a Kabetu miss as Ottawa scored the last four points of the half to lead by one.
Ottawa's sluggish start to the second half - they missed their first five shots of the half - was halted by one of three tremendous put-backs by Shakespeare, which breathed life into the Gee-Gees. Ottawa then grabbed their largest lead of the evening at 48-42 with about nine minutes to play as Shakespeare scored the last seven points in a 15-8 run, the last bucket off a slick feed inside from Kabetu, prompting Carleton to take time out. Ryan Bell and Doornekamp led a furious Ravens rally that tied the game at 50 with seven and a half minutes remaining but then Peter went to work again. He took a transition feed from McLeod and finished and then stole the ball from Ravens 6'3" Stuart Turnbull after a careless cross-over attempt, going the length of the floor for a 54-50 lead. Carleton tied the score for the final time at 54 with five minutes remaining and then McLeod, Jovic, Shakespeare and, especially Kabetu took over on the game-deciding run.
Ottawa's defence was instrumental in the victory, creating 18 Carleton turnovers and holding Carleton's star guard Jeanty to eight points on only five shots from the floor. The Gee-Gees were also solid down the stretch from the free throw line, going 7-for-8 and they took care of the basketball with only seven turnovers on the night.
With the victory, the Gee-Gees take sole possession of first place in the OUA East with a 12-1 record, one game ahead of Carleton (11-2) and the U of T Varsity Blues (11-2). Coach DeAveiro is now only five wins shy of reaching 100 victories in his coaching career. The Gee-Gees now look ahead to Friday and Saturday when the Kingston teams (Queen's and RMC) come to town for a pair of 8 p.m. games at Montpetit Hall.