THUNDER BAY – Some nights just work out.
It was one of those nights for the Lakehead Thunderwolves women’s basketball team, who played well for the opening 10 minutes, but collapsed in the third and fourth quarter against the No. 4 Carleton Ravens, the two-time defending national champions, going down 82-37 at the C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse.
The Ravens, who led 48-33 at the 3:44 mark of the third, went on a remarkable 29-0 run, holding the Thunderwolves off the scoreboard for 13:01, until Eva Guilera came through a the free-throw line, a collapse coach Hugo Boisvert would like to put rapidly in his past.
“They turned up the effort defensively, turned up the pressure defensively and we had to respond – but we didn’t,” Boisvert said.
“Us not being able to respond to the physicality, the toughness, the grit, we’ve got to learn from that somehow, because we’re not prepared for that moment. We’re not willing to be tough with each other and then we’re surprised by that level of physicality when it comes our way.”
To be fair to the Thunderwolves, the Ravens have run roughshod over their OUA competition this season, the only undefeated team left, boasting a 10-0 record at the Christmas break.
They’ve outscored their opponents 783-559, making the highest scoring team in the entire league.
First-year guard Sidney Crawford said there was a lot to like about the way the Thunderwolves started the contest, but not much to like about the final result.
“I was really proud of the way we came out in the first half. I thought we had a lot of fight and really showed that we wanted to play with them and we wanted to compete with them. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way in the second half, but I think there’s a lot for us to learn from and lot to take with us into the new year,” said Crawford, who came off the bench to score two points, nearly ending Carleton’s magnificent run a few points earlier with a shot that rattled around the rim before falling short.
“The are a really good team and their defence, I think, really forced us into our weaknesses,” Crawford said.
After Keira Chow completed a three-point play at the free-throw line 3:44 into the third, the Ravens took over and never looked back.
Nathalie Francis started the run with back-to-back buckets as the Ravens stretched their lead to 64-33 by the time the third quarter ran down.
They weren’t done, scoring the first 13 points of the fourth before Guilera scored four straight points to cut the lead to 77-37.
It was just one of those nights, said Carleton’s Tatyanna Burke, whose 18 points lead all scorers.
“Honestly, we’re striving to be better every single time. We respect Lakehead and we came in thinking anything can happen. We trained for this game and they put up a good fight. We’re just in it to keep going and keep pushing higher,” Burke said.
It was the defence that sparked the offence.
“We believe in each other. We’re a team,” Burke said, adding they’re not putting too much stock in a top 10 ranking that has them sitting fourth in the nation, despite the back-to-back titles.
“Honestly, we’re working toward it. Whatever people think, people think. We’re just going to keep going.”
Five Ravens players hit double digits on the night, including Kyana-Jade Poulin, Zerina Duvnjak, Jacqueline Urban and Dorcas Buisa. Carleton (10-0) hit 31-of-62 shots from the field, while holding Lakehead (2-9) to just 11 made shots on 56 attempts.
