By Daniel Carrero
The TMU Bold women’s basketball team lost 63-56 to the Carleton Ravens on Saturday afternoon at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).
With the victory, the Ravens remain undefeated this 2024-25 campaign with 13 wins and leading the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East division. This is the eighth time Carleton has kept their opponent under 60 points this season.
Bold head coach Carly Clarke emphasized the quality of the fourth-nationally-ranked team despite the Bold’s decent performance.
“[Carleton] defend probably better than anybody in the country,” said Clarke. “We just couldn’t find an offensive rhythm…They do such a good job controlling the game.”
The game tipped off with the Bold setting the pace with fast transitions and five points off the hands of fifth-year guard Kailie Hall and second-year forward Hailey Franco-DeRyck. The first minutes of the game also featured a lot of misplaced passes from both teams, as players shook off the rust from the winter break.
Nevertheless, the Ravens were coming off a comfortable 86-50 win against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, giving them an edge as they were ready to put their foot on the gas in this game. Jacqueline Urban and Kyana-Jade Poulin’s offensive efforts allowed the Ravens to match the score and stretched their advantage to 5-16 before TMU called for a needed timeout.
Up to then, the Bold displayed full-court pressure commanded by Franco-DeRyck. After the timeout, that quickly changed to a zonal defence.
“We didn’t have a plan to press them too much because they are pretty dynamic,” said Clarke. “We found that [being] a bit more contained was effective, so we stuck with that.”
TMU continued to build off of being deeper into the paint. Second-year guard Catrina Garvey benefited from this, scoring seven points as part of a nine-point run for the Bold. Still, the blue and gold were playing the catchup game to end the quarter with an eight-point difference in favour of the Ravens.
Things got messier in the second quarter. Carleton’s consistent fouling allowed the Bold to push deeper and continue a back-and-forth contest. But following a Carleton timeout, Urban and Poulin drilled two three-pointers that extended the difference to 19-33.
The Bold called a timeout instantly and tried to refocus their efforts on finishing shots. While they successfully closed down the gap to nine points, the new challenge became turnovers.
“The rebounding and finishing possessions were probably more impactful in the turnovers than the foul trouble,” said Clarke.
TMU finished the game with 27 turnovers, matching a season-high set against the Western Mustangs on Nov. 13.
Coming into the second half, the Bold started stronger and committed to completing the comeback. Garvey and Hall’s efforts shortened the distance to 48-42 but Carleton, commanded by Urban—who finished the game with 23 points—made it impossible for the Bold to break the defence down and put the game in their favour.
“[Carleton] also do have pace but they do tend to slow it down. They’re going to punch first, they’re going to be physical,” said fourth-year guard Jayme Foreman of Carleton’s playstyle. “That’s where it got us a little bit off guard.”
The Ravens slowed the pace of the game down but made more mistakes while passing and creating chances. Despite only scoring six points in the fourth quarter, Carleton maintained the difference, kept the game in their favour and secured the 63-56 victory over the Bold.
“We just couldn’t find an offensive rhythm…They do such a good job controlling the game”
Third-year guard Kait Nichols fell to the ground after attempting a two-pointer from the paint in the fourth quarter. After showing visible signs of pain, the Hamilton, Ont. product left the court. After the game, Clarke assured that Nichols only experienced a calf cramp and is expected to be available for tomorrow’s matchup against the Brock Badgers.
The expected matchup against Brock also carries familiar faces for the Bold. The current Badgers head coach and former Bold assistant coach, Shae Dheensaw will face the Bold for the first time since her departure last season. Since her arrival, the Badgers have changed their fortunes, currently sitting atop the OUA Central division with an 8-3 record.
“I’m really proud of her and excited that she got the opportunity over there,” said Clarke. “We’ve had a rivalry with Brock for a few years, so I think that just enhances it. [I’m] excited to give her, hopefully, a cold welcome back into the building.”
Not only do coaches look forward to the matchup, but players who have been coached by Dheensaw expect to experience mixed feelings when facing their former assistant coach.
“It’s kind of funny. We’ve touched upon that a little bit, just like teammates [saying] ‘Oh playing Dheensaw, it’s kind of weird,’” said Foreman. “It will be interesting to play them—how she decides to go up against us because obviously, she knows a lot of how we play, but it’ll be fun.”
UP NEXT: The Bold look to pick up their form against the Brock Badgers on Jan. 12 at the MAC. Tip-off is set at 4 p.m.
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