Women's basketball team falls short against Carleton

The Carleton Ravens have already beaten the best OUA women's basketball has to offer.

A week after toppling two-time defending champion Windsor Lancers, the unranked Ravens stormed into the Thunderdome on Friday night and laid waste to the Lakehead Thunderwolves.

Turnovers and too many shots allowed were the downfalls for the host Wolves, who fell to 1-2, with 10th-ranked Ottawa scheduled for an appearance on Saturday.

The Ravens took charge early in the first, a 10-0 run vaulting them into a double-digit lead. The Wolves closed to within eight, but no closer the rest of the way, ultimately falling 67-47.

Lakehead coach Jon Kreiner said it boiled down to not getting enough shots. The team likes to put up 65 shots and night, and only managed 39, hitting just 14.

"I thought we did some things well, but we can't turn the ball over 27 times and get beat on the (Offensive) boards by as much as we did and think we can be successful," he said. "Normally when you out-shoot your opponent 2-1 on free throws, you usually have a better fate than we had tonight."

The 10-0 run hurt, Kreiner added.

"It was tough to come back from that against a team that plays well defensively. Our girls got a lesson tonight. We struggled (last week) with Queen's, which is a real physical team. We've got to find a way in practice to simulate the toughness and physicality needed to play at this level."

There were bright spots, despite the lopsided score.

Second-year guard Katelyn Zen scored eight points, including six in the fourth quarter alone, while second-year pivot Jessica de Haan led LU with nine points.

"Our game plan was to take out No. 9 (McKenzie Sigurdson) and we took out No. 9. But we didn't push the ball like we were supposed to and they have a really good half-court defence. That's how we were going to get our points. That's why we couldn't score," Zen said.

"I felt like they put a lot of pressure on the wings, so I guess since we were supposed to do transition, we didn't end up looking for those shots."

She added it was an unfamiliar role she was cast in Friday night.

"I'm not really a shooter, I'm more of a driver or a cutter or a slasher," the North Bay native said. "It worked well with the pressure to make those cuts to the basket and be wide open. I felt like my way of playing was perfect for this team."

Kreiner said Zen was his best player on the night.

"She played smart. She was 4-for-4 from the field, she found her opportunities to go back-door and make some nice cuts against what was going on out there and she took advantage of those opportunities," he said. "And I think she worked really hard on defence."

The Ravens (2-1) had four players in double digits, led by a dozen each from Elizabeth Roach and Stephanie Carr. Lindsay Inkila had a pair of three-pointers for LU, part of an eight-point night.

Lakehead slipped to 1-2.