RAVENS, MUSTANGS ONCE AGAIN IN WILSON CUP PRESENTED BY INVESTORS GROUP
Carleton won its fourth OUA title in six seasons, defeating the Mustangs 81-65 in last year's Wilson Cup at the Ravens' Nest in Ottawa, Ont. If they are to repeat as OUA champions, the Ravens will have to do it in front of a hostile crowd at Alumni Hall on the campus of The University of Western Ontario in London, Ont.
The OUA basketball playoffs are presented by Investors Group.
The Wilson Cup will feature some of the top men's basketball players in the twilight of their university careers. Ravens fifth-year guard Stu Turnbull (Kingston, Ont.) was named the East Division Player of the Year earlier this week. Turnbull led the No. 1 Ravens with 368 points during the regular season (an average of 16.7 per game), and was second with 60 assists and 27 steals. He also contributed 111 rebounds, including 77 on defence.
Along with Turnbull, fifth-year forward Aaron Doornekamp (Odessa, Ont.) was named an East Division First-Team All-Star. Doornekamp, a member of the Canadian national men's team, has averaged 20.5 points in Carleton's two post-season games this season, having shot 57 percent from the field. Doornekamp and Turnbull have combined for 2,617 regular season points and 1,156 rebounds during their careers.
Fifth-year Mustangs Brad Smith (Churchill, Ont.) and Matthew Curtis (Hamilton, Ont.) will play their final games on the Alumni Hall court on Saturday. Smith was one of five players this season to score over 400 points, tallying 402 for an average of 18.3 per game. The West Division First Team All-Star also contributed 143 rebounds on the season. During his career with the Mustangs, Smith has scored 1,477 regular season points and added 497 rebounds. In his two playoff games this season Smith has scored 42 points and shot 49 percent from the field.
Curtis is also a member of the 1,000-point club, scoring 1,052 points in his career. Curtis has not missed one regular season game in the past five seasons, a remarkable show of durability. He has hit double-figures in points in two playoff games for a total of 26, and was a consistent 5-of-11 from the field in each game.
The Ravens (23-1) defeated the York Lions 105-57 and the Ottawa Gee-Gees 82-61 on home court to win the East Division championship. The Mustangs (21-3) downed the Waterloo Warriors 74-62 and Windsor Lancers 98-66 to claim the West Division title. Those victories came at Alumni Hall.
This will mark the Ravens second trip to London this season, having defeated the Mustangs 79-74 on Nov. 8. The Mustangs have not won a game against the Ravens since Nov. 17, 2001, a losing streak of eight games. The Wilson Cup will tip off at 2 p.m., and is available on local television on Rogers Cable 13 in London. The game will be re-aired on tape delay in other Rogers Cable markets, excluding Ottawa, at 8 p.m. The game will also be webcast on WesternMustangs.ca.
No matter the outcome, the Ravens and Mustangs will advance to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Final 8 Men's Basketball Championship, hosted by Carleton University at Scotiabank Place in Kanata, Ont. from March 13 to 15. Another OUA berth in the national tournament will be decided on Saturday up the road at Montpetit Hall at the University of Ottawa, as the No. 3 Gee-Gees (20-4) host the No. 8 Lancers (16-8) in the bronze medal game. The game will be broadcast locally on Rogers Cable 22 in Ottawa and webcast on SSNCanada.ca. Tip-off is at 8 p.m.
The losing team in the bronze medal game could earn a berth into the Final 8 by virtue of a wild card entry.
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Photo Credit: Craig Glover