Adamo Marinelli
Jan. 22, 2023
The Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team improved to 13-2 on the season, are riding a seven-game winning streak, and are a perfect 6-0 in 2023 a hard-fought 69-64 win against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Jan. 20 and a 63-53 win against the Toronto Metropolitan University Bold on Jan. 21 after a strong second half effort.
The Ravens have proven this year they can win games in multiple ways. At the beginning of the season, they struggled to get consistent production from their bench and often relied on one or two starters, normally guard Kali Pocrnic, to lead the way offensively.
More recently, especially during their seven-game win streak, the Ravens have become a more cohesive team unit offensively. All five of their starters and the entire bench began to consistently contribute offensively which took the pressure off Pocrnic and allowed them to create more open shots. When every player on the floor is a threat to score, it spreads out the defence more than if they only had to focus on one or two players.
In the Ravens’ win over UofT on Friday, their bench scored 32 points, doubling the output of their opponent’s bench which marks the seventh consecutive game the Ravens’ bench outscored their opposition - and it has been by a whopping combined margin of 193-46. The Ravens are now 6-1 in those games.
However, it wasn’t just the bench producing at a high level. Forward Jacqueline Urban led the starters in scoring with 17 points and 15 rebounds, Pocrnic added 15 points and guard Dorcas Buisa added 14 points. When the Ravens are all contributing on offence, the team finds much more success compared to when one player carries the majority of the burden herself.
In their win over TMU on Saturday, the Ravens’ bench was not nearly as productive as it usually is, scoring only two points.
Four starters recorded eight or more points and Jacqueline Urban continued her strong run of form with a second consecutive double-double recording 13 points and 16 rebounds. However, it was Pocrnic carrying the majority of the offensive load again.
Pocrnic led the team in scoring for the sixth time this season with a dominant 27-point performance while shooting 8-19 from the field and also recording two rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Most of the offensive load flowed through Pocrnic against UofT just like how it did in four of the first six games of the season when Pocrnic led the team in scoring in each of those games recording 29, 25, 26, and 22 points respectively.
Another season-long struggle has been the inability to make free throws. In both of Carleton’s
losses this season, they shot 63 and 41 percent from the charity stripe. The inability to consistently knock down free throws has hindered the team’s success in lost games. Even in their first 11 wins, their average from the free throw line was just over 60 percent which is not ideal. However, the Ravens’ free throw shooting has improved recently and played a crucial role in their last few victories.
Against the Varsity Blues on Friday, the Ravens made 24 of their 36 free throw attempts which helped them secure a tough win in a close game. Hitting only 66.67 percent of your free throws doesn’t sound very good, but if you consider that it gave the Ravens 24 extra points in a close game, it did make a big contribution to the win.
Against the Bold on Saturday, the Ravens only missed one free throw, shooting 17/18 from the charity stripe. Consistently knocking down your free throws and scoring points while the clock is stopped is a huge offensive boost for any team, especially in close games and the Ravens have been in seven games that were decided in 10 or fewer points.
Regardless of whether Pocrnic leads the way offensively or if the whole team contributes, the Ravens build their reputation on strong team defense, dominating on the glass, and physicality in the paint.
Against the Varsity Blues, the Ravens continued their dominance in the paint and on the glass. The Ravens outrebounded their opponent 43-42 and for the 10th time in their 13 wins which demonstrates how critical winning the rebound battle is. Winning the offensive glass gives your team additional possessions and more opportunities to score; winning the defensive glass ends your opponents' possessions, prevents them from scoring, and enables you to attack in transition. That is what Carleton has been able to do in the majority of their wins this season.
The Ravens also dominated the paint, outscoring their opponents 38-22 in the area. They have outscored their opponents in the paint in 10 of their 13 victories this season.
Carleton is also known for playing a very physical defensive game. They limit their opponents’ space to move the ball and create high-percentage shots and force a lot of turnovers. The Ravens forced 14 steals and 22 turnovers, scoring 20 points in transition from their takeaways which made up for their abysmal night from beyond the arc where they shot a mere five percent.
Against the Bold, the Ravens were outrebounded 45-37 and were outscored in the paint 30-24, but they forced 23 turnovers and scored 17 points in transition compared to the Bold, who scored only 12 points off 18 forced turnovers.
They also held the Bold to 32.3 percent from the field and 16.7 from beyond the arc, giving their opponents no space to operate making it difficult for them to create scoring opportunities. No matter the circumstance, the Ravens can always rely on their excellent defense, especially from the perimeter, and their transition game to help them win.
The Ravens’ success from the free throw line, massive nights from Pocrnic and Urban, and their huge 26-point third quarter against TMU - in six games this season, the Ravens have taken the lead after outsourcing their opponents in the third quarter - all helped the Ravens improve to 13-2.
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