Ottawa, Ont. – The Carleton Ravens, behind a stellar defensive game plan and a scorching second half, routed the Memphis Tigers 92-60 to wrap up the NCAA/CIS preseason schedule with a 4-1 record over NCAA teams and earn a 2-0 sweep of the visiting Tigers at the Ravens’ Nest in Ottawa.
The Ravens jumped ahead 20-11 in the first quarter on the strength of their suffocating team defence, forcing Memphis into nine turnovers and scoring points off of eight of them in the first ten minutes of the game, and never looked back on their way to their largest margin of victory (32 points) over an NCAA Division One team.
Philip Scrubb hot shooting 30 points
Three-time CIS MVP and four-time champion Philip Scrubb (Richmond, BC) continued his hot start to his fifth and final year in a Ravens uniform with another 30-point performance on a sizzling 9-of-15 shooting from the floor, 5-of-9 from 3-pointers, and a perfect 7-of-7 from the foul line.
Connor Wood (Guelph, Ont.) was also on fire with 21 points on 5-of-7 triples. Thomas Scrubb added 13 points plus seven rebounds, and sophomore J.E. Pierre-Charles rounded out the scoring with an efficient 8 points and seven rebounds for the Ravens.
The Ravens’ defence picked up multiple charge calls and limited Memphis to 20-of-40 shooting (40%) in the game. The Tigers once again struggled to connect from the outside, going 1-of-12 (8.3%) and just 19-of-33 from free throws.
“I don’t think we did a great job rebounding, but I thought we did a great job defensively. We were willing to take hits, willing to stand and take some charges. We kind of played pretty boy basketball in the first four games and got by on talent and making some plays defensively without actually being tough about it. I think today we took some hits from some pretty big, athletic guys and took their aggressiveness away by taking some charges,” discussed Ravens head coach Dave Smart after the win.
Coach Smart was able to rest his starters by shutting down the Scrubb brothers with over five minutes left in the game, giving the Ravens’ bench valuable experience against a top-caliber NCAA team.
“I think it’s good. I think Mitch Jackson has a chance to be special, I really do. He’s a 17-year-old kid coming from Regina as a true great, having completed grade twelve. He played in Regina, where the competition isn’t the same, and he is doing a great job in our practices. I think he did a good job when he was out there,” Smart further described when asked if he was pleased with his bench’s performance.
The Carleton bench combined for 18 points in the contest, with all but one player hitting the scoresheet.
Memphis, playing in their fourth game in four nights, was led by point guard Pookie Powell’s 13 points. Chris Hawkins also reached double figures with 10 points and five rebounds, including an emphatic put-back dunk in the second quarter. Shaq Goodwin added 9 points and five rebounds for the Tigers.
“Well, we are not going to use fatigue as an excuse. I mean, four games in four days is hard, especially with only eight guys. We were a little exhausted, but Carleton deserves the credit; they just shot the lights out again in the second half.”
In the first half, we held them to 2-of-12 from three, and then in the second half, they were 9-of-11, which just opened up the game. We were 1-of-12, and having 21 turnovers isn’t going to cut it. Shooting 19-33 from the free-throw line means you are going to lose the game by a lot against a really well-coached team with good players,” Tigers head coach Joshua Pastner told BasketballBuzz briefly outside the locker room.
Memphis Tigers (2-2) Canadian Tour
Memphis finished its 2014 Canadian tour with a record of 2-2, picking up wins over the Ottawa Gee-Gees and the McGill Redmen in Montreal.
“It was great for us; we needed to get exposed to some things, and that’s why I wanted to come over here because I knew the competition was good. We needed good competition, especially with us being so young in the backcourt and very inexperienced. The only guy that had played meaningful minutes with us was Shaq Goodwin from last year. Nick King, who played in the second half of the season, was in rotation; everybody else barely played minutes. So, this was an opportunity to really give guys playing time to see who can do what and who cannot, and have a good evaluation.”
“Canada was great; the hospitality was great. You know, the people are great, very good basketball here, great shooters,” Pastner added about his experience on Canadian soil.
Carleton Ravens (4-1) vs. NCAA Teams
Carleton wrapped up another successful NCAA series with a 4-1 record and will have the opportunity to add to its recent success against top-calibre NCAA teams when it visits the Carrier Dome on Nov. 2nd for a game against the Syracuse Orange.
For Smart and his Ravens, the sights are now set and focused on adding to the silverware and defending the CIS Men’s National Championship. When asked how his team will stay focused, knowing they just blew out a Memphis team that many of his own players will be bracket-picking come March Madness, while also knowing they will not play another CIS team with as much speed and athleticism during their upcoming season.
“Well, it’s easy when the number one team in the country is just five minutes away. I think across the board, everyone in our country, like coaches and players, thinks Ottawa U is the number one team in the country, and you know what, I don’t disagree with that. If our guys can’t stay focused with the fact that they are just five minutes down the road, and it keeps them focused, it should keep us focused too. They’ve got a pretty scary basketball team, and they are only five minutes away.”
The Ravens and the Gee-Gees will get acquainted with one another on Saturday, January 10, 2015, and once again on Friday, February 6, on the big stage at the Canadian Tire Centre.
