By Donald Higney
Two big shots from guard Marin Scotten in the closing minutes of the game lifted the Ryerson Rams women’s basketball team to a 51-49 win over the Carleton Ravens at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Jan. 25.
With 1:31 to go in the fourth, Scotten missed an attempt from three but a key offensive rebound and well-timed pass from forward Stefanija Mrvaljevic helped Scotten avenge the miss and give the Rams a 48-47 lead.
After an ensuing empty Ravens possession, Ryerson milked the clock. Soon after, an offensive rebound off a missed three-point attempt from guard Hayley Robertson saw Scotten take over once again.
Scotten isolated Ravens guard Madison Reid, stepped back, and shot a three. The ball hit the side of the rim and then the backboard, eventually sinking into the basket to put the Rams up by four.
“The first one I was like ‘Thank God it went in’ because I missed the shot before it,” said Scotten. “The second one I thought it was going to miss because of the bounce, but when it went in I was psyched. I got the lucky bounce.”
Scotten finished with a game-high 21 points, while Robertson added 12 points and nine rebounds.
“[The shot] was awesome, it’s so much fun playing with her,” said Robertson. “I believe every shot she’s taking will go in…our team has total confidence in her.”
With the win, Ryerson bounced back after a two-point loss to the No. 3 ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees.
The first half was a defensive bout between the two teams, with neither squad shooting higher than 35 per cent from the field.
Carleton forced 11 Ryerson turnovers in the first half alone, but the Rams responded by shutting out the Ravens transition game.
Keeping the Ravens afloat was guard Madison Reid, who scored 14 of the Raven’s 26 first half points. But in the second half, Reid would be quiet, shooting just 1-7 from the field and 1-5 from three.
The Rams also held Ravens forward Alyssa Cerino to 12 points on 3-12 shooting. Cerino is ranked third across Ontario University Athletics (OUA) in scoring, averaging 16.9 points per game.
For Ryerson, forward Rachel Farwell stepped up huge defensively, registering three blocks to go along with seven rebounds.
“We’ve been asking her to step up and make some more plays and she rose to the challenge,” said Rams head coach Carly Clarke. “She blocked some shots, secured some key rebounds, and used her length to disrupt some plays. She did a great job.”
The team shut down Carleton in the fourth quarter, only allowing them to score seven points.
Tonight snapped Ryerson’s seven-game losing streak to the Ravens. Their last win against Carleton was in January of 2016.
Ryerson now improves to 13-3 on the season as they sit tied for first place in the OUA Central Division with Brock. These two teams will meet for a second time on Feb. 1.
UP NEXT: Ryerson takes on the defending U SPORTS champions, the McMaster Marauders, on Jan. 29 at the MAC. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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