RAVENS KNOCK LIONS OUT OF PLAYOFFS

The Carleton University Ravens men's basketball team eliminated the York University Lions from the post-season as they came away with a 78-65 win in the OUA quarter-final match-up at the Ravens' Nest Saturday night (Feb. 26).

The Ravens (20-2) avenged an 80-74 loss to the Lions (6-16) late in the regular season as York was one of only two teams to defeat Carleton in the 2009-2010 campaign.

Both teams came out strong in the first half of play and battled shot for shot, but the Ravens distributed the ball well and shot over 70 percent to take an early 27-19 lead in the opening quarter.

In the second quarter of play, however, the Lions stepped up their defence and forced the Ravens to take some tough shots, while on their offensive end the Lions were able to hit a lot of their shots. They got within one point with 40 seconds remaining in the first half, but the Ravens were aggressive taking the ball to the hoop.

With two seconds left in the first half, the Ravens went to powerhouse Kevin McCleery (Ottawa), who scored a nice put-back and was fouled on the way up. The three-point play gave the Ravens a 43-39 lead going into the halftime break.

The Ravens came out strong again in the second half but the Lions would just not back down, going shot for shot with the No. 2 nationally-ranked Ravens. They stayed within 10 points for the majority of the quarter and ended the third behind by a 66-58 score.

The experienced Carleton players led the charge as the Ravens began to pull away in the fourth. They opened up a 13-point lead and held on to the final buzzer for the victory.

The Ravens were led by McCleery, who had a game high 22 points. Teammates Elliott Thompson (Fredericton, N.B.) and third year guard Cole Hobin (Ashton, Ont.) contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively.

The Lions were led by Ostap Choliy, a first-year guard from Oakville, Ont., who scored 19 points. The only other Lion in double digits was David Tyndale, a second-year guard from Mississauga, Ont., with 10 points.

The Lions season is now over, while the Ravens, who have won six of the last seven national championships and five of the last seven OUA titles, advance to the OUA semifinals and will face their rivals, the Ottawa Gee-Gees, on Saturday (Mar. 6) at the Ravens' Nest.

With files from Carleton Ravens sport information