OUA Women's Basketball Final (Critelli Cup)
No. 1 Carleton @ No. 4 McMaster
Saturday, March 3, 2018
1:00 PM
Burridge Gym
Watch | Live Stats
If the Marauders want to win their first OUA banner in a decade, they will have to do what no other team has managed this season: beat the Carleton Ravens.
The two teams renew a now-familiar playoff rivalry Saturday at Burridge Gym in the Critelli Cup final, having navigated their way through the OUA playoff bracket and booked spots in next weekend's U SPORTS Championship in Regina.
Both ranked inside the nation's top five teams, the no. 1 Ravens and no. 4 Marauders meet in the OUA playoffs for the second consecutive year, as Carleton eliminated McMaster from title contention in a nail-biting, 55-54 semi final a season ago in Kingston.
McMaster boasts home court advantage this time around, hosting the OUA title game for the first time since 2007, when they fell to the York Lions. A season later, the Marauders won their last of four conference championships over the Toronto Varsity Blues.
By comparison, the Ravens stand as the defending OUA champions, having won the first title in their program's history a season ago.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Reeling off 14 consecutive wins after the holiday break to roar into the playoffs with a 20-4 conference record, and the top seed in the OUA West, the Marauders hosted the Western Mustangs in a quarter final on February 24. A pair of late threes from Linnaea Harper and Sarah Gates helped the Marauders to a 61-51 win, as they advanced to a February 28 semi final against the Ottawa Gee-Gees. There, the Marauders overturned a late deficit to win a razor-close defensive battle 47-46 and reach the OUA final.
For their part, the Ravens similarly hosted their way through the quarter and semi final rounds, blowing past the Ryerson Rams 82-66 with the help of a tidy, 19-point performance from all-star Catherine Traer before similarly besting the Windsor Lancers 61-48.
LAST MEETING
Carleton 81-54 McMaster (Dec. 1, 2017)
Without all-star starters Hilary Hanaka and Linnaea Harper due to injury, the Marauders were out-gunned early and often by the Ravens at Burridge Gym. A career night for Erin Burns, which saw the veteran guard score 14 points, went for naught, as Carleton hurt McMaster from long range en route to 10 threes and a 38.5 per cent clip from beyond the arc.
Four Ravens (Nicole Gilmore, Heather Lindsay, Alyssa Cerino and Elizabeth Leblanc) entered double digits in scoring on a balanced night from the visitors.
CONFERENCE HONOURS
Saturday's final lineups are littered with newly-minted OUA all-stars, including Carleton's Elizabeth Leblanc (Defensive Player of the Year, Second Team All-Star), Heather Lindsay (Second Team All-Star) and Traer (Third Team All-Star), and McMaster's Hilary Hanaka (First Team All-Star), Linnaea Harper (Third Team All-Star) and Sarah Gates (All-Rookie Team).
Ravens head coach Taffe Charles, after posting a spotless 24-0 record in conference play, was honoured as the OUA Coach of the Year for the second time, having previously won in 2010.
