By Libaan Osman
The Ryerson Rams men’s basketball couldn’t find their stroke against the No.1 Carleton Ravens in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Wilson Cup Finals, falling 81-61 on March 2 at the Ravens’ Nest.
Struggling to shoot from long distance and keep the Ravens off the glass, it became a lopsided affair for the Rams, who lost for the second consecutive year in the OUA championship.
A tough second frame for Ryerson saw them connect on just three of their 16 attempts, while the Ravens extended a 7-point first quarter lead to 17 by halftime.
The Rams shot a dreadful 13 per cent from long distance on 26 attempts after hitting a season-high 16 threes on Wednesday against Laurier in their semi-finals matchup.
Leading the Rams in scoring was sophomore centre Tanor Ngom, who scored 15 points, to go along with four rebounds and three blocks.
Rams fifth-year point guard Myles Charvis struggled in the second half, registering only one-point from the free throw line after pouring in nine points in the first 20 minutes of the game.
In their previous two meeting this season, Charvis averaged 22 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists.
It was also a tough game for Jean-Victor Mukama (who hit a dagger shot in their last meeting), scoring just 12 points on 18 attempts and 0-7 from long distance.
Carleton did most of their damage on the glass with 15 offensive boards, winning the rebounding battle 43-26.
Scoring was not a problem for the Ravens with four of their starters finishing in double-digit scoring. Yasiin Joseph poured in a game-high 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, while first-team all-star Eddie Ekiyor chipped in with 18 points on 7-10 shooting and guard Munis Tutu contributed with 16.
For most of the night, the Rams were playing catch up with the Ravens, trailing by as many as 22. Ryerson managed to cut their deficit to within 12 in the final quarter and hoped to make a massive comeback, but Carleton answered back with a 15-5 run to get their lead back up to 20 and ultimately putting this game out of reach.
With the loss, the Rams collect an OUA silver medal for the second straight year while the Ravens secured their 11th provincial title.
Coming up short in this one, Ryerson still has a lot to look forward to as they’ll be heading to the Final 8 tournament in Halifax for the fifth consecutive year.
The Rams are hoping to get over the hump and win their first-ever national championship after coming up short in the last two years in the title game.
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