Box Score The No. 6 Carleton Ravens came away with a narrow 50-47 win over the No. 5 Varsity Blues in the OUA East final on Sunday, February 27 at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.

With the win, the Ravens advance to the OUA final versus the Windsor Lancers next Saturday, March 5 in Windsor, Ont. The Lancers handily defeated the Lakehead Thunderwolves in OUA West semifinal action before coming away with a 65-59 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks in the West final this afternoon.

The Blues will host the Golden Hawks in the OUA bronze-medal match, also next Saturday.

Fourth-year forward Ashleigh Cleary of Kemptville, Ont., led the Ravens with 12 points, while Kendall MacLeod of Brockville, Ont., had 10 points and a team-high seven boards on the night. Third-year guard Alyson Bush of Ottawa totalled 10 points and eight assists and was named the player of the game for her efforts.

The game started as a back-and-forth battle, however the Blues surged ahead to take a 13-8 lead after the first 10 minutes of action.

Carleton went on a 12-4 run to take a three-point lead midway through the second quarter, but a Joanna Medri three with 2:34 remaining would cap off first-half scoring as the game was deadlocked at 20-20 at halftime.

The Ravens scored on their first two possessions of the second half to take a four-point lead, only to be countered by a Nicki Schutz three. Carleton continued to press with U of T never more than six points behind. Schutz added eight more points in the third and the Ravens held a narrow 35-34 advantage heading into the fourth.

Carlton’s Jessica Resch opened the fourth with a three-pointer but some hard work by Schutz under Toronto’s basket kept the game within reach. MacLeod nailed another three to give the Ravens a five-point advantage (43-38) midway through the frame.

Each time the Blues brought the game within two, the Ravens would respond to maintain a two-possession cushion. A Sherri Pierce three with 4.3 seconds remaining would bring the game within one, but a pair of MacLeod free throws would put the game out of reach as the Ravens came away with the three-point victory.

Schutz led all players with 20 points and eight rebounds, while veteran guard Erin McNeely of Kingston, Ont., had 10 points, eight boards and four assists. Pierce ended the night with nine points and four assists in the loss.