OUA WILSON CUP: Carleton's defence, rebounding proves too much for Western, as defending five-time CIS champs win 81-65

Western shows balance and depth but cannot stop sharpshooting Stu Turnbull and Aaron Doornekamp who combine for 53 points

OTTAWA - Aaron Doornekamp (Odessa, Ont.) showed why he was the OUA East player of the year, winning the Kitch McPherson Award for OUA Wilson Cup MVP with a 23-point, nine-rebound performance, as the Carleton Ravens won their fourth OUA championship in team history 81-65 at the Ravens' Nest on March 8.

It was a balanced team game for the Western squad, with Matt Curtis (Hamilton, Ont.) leading the Mustangs with 13 points. Stuart Turnbull (Kingston, Ont.) had a game-high 30 points and eight rebounds for Carleton.

Ryan Bell (Ottawa, Ont.), with a strong defensive game, had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards for the Ravens.

Bradley Campbell, in his second year as head coach with the Mustangs, said his team played well but in the end Western's intense defence and rebounding edge (49-31) cost them the game.

"I felt that we had trouble getting inside touches and that left us forced to shoot from the perimeter," Campbell said. "And rebounding was a huge factor."

It was a much closer affair than the final score dictated, with Carleton only up by six points after three quarters.

But their depth and big-game experience proved to be the difference in the fourth, in which they outscored Western 23-13.

Turnbull scored 10 of the teams final 14 points, eight from the line.

Both teams will play next weekend at the CIS National Championship Final 8 Tournament at the Scotiabank Place. The CIS will release the 8 teams participating in the tournament, the schedule and pairings tomorrow night around 6 p.m.  

The Carleton fans were classy in the post-game awards ceremony, giving Campbell, an Ottawa native who played for Smart at Nepean high school, a rousing ovation when he received his silver medal.

Campbell said this game was an excellent tune up for what is in store for Western next week.

"Like I told our guys after the game, that's the level of play it's going to be at nationals. We know what it will take to be successful there," Campbell said. "We played in a hostile environment, on the road, against the defending national champions. It was a great game for us to get us prepared."

Not even a massive winter storm kept fans of both teams away, although it limited the home-court advantage for the Ravens in what was supposed to be a loud, sold-out affair.

About 150 Western fans were in attendance.

It was a slow start with both teams playing strong defensively.

Doornekamp, the reigning OUA East player of the year, was exceptionally effective in the first quarter, scoring seven of Carleton's first 11 points.

When he wasn't scoring in the paint, he was nailing from three-point range (2/6) early, proving to be a complete player.

After the first, Western showed they can compete with the host Ravens.

Had it not been for dreadful perimeter shooting, they could have had a lead. The Mustangs shot 0/8 from three-point range in the first, finishing 7/31 from beyond the arc (22.6%).

The Ravens opened the scoring and only surrendered the lead twice all game.

Carleton led 20-17 at the end of the quarter.

Carleton's aggressive press and trap highlighted a variety of defensive looks which made things difficult for the Mustangs, in what was excellent preparation before nationals.

Turnbull took over in a very defensive second quarter, scoring six points in two and a half minutes.

With 11 seconds left in the half, Curtis nailed a three to pull Western within four points, with the score 37-33 Carleton at the break.

In the third, Turnbull again led the Ravens on a momentum-shifting 16-9 run midway through the third quarter.

But Western never gave up, led by Jason Milliquet (Sarnia, Ont.), although cold from three-point range, who was effective for 11 points through three quarters.

Both teams showed considerable depth, something that will help through the nationals.

And they showed signs of a rivalry building. Case in point when Brad Smith (Churchill, Ont.) was called on a flagrant foul for contact on Turnbull that sent the Kingston guard to the hardwood in pain in the final minutes.

Western had a very different look this season, even since their last game against Carleton, a 28-point loss in November (78-50).

Four Campbell recruits had a huge impact in the game. NCAA Division 1 transfers Colin LaForme (Hamilton, Ont.), from Youngstown State, and Alex Brzozowicz (Chicago, Ill.) from the Michigan Wolverines have been vital to Western's late season success.

"I think theses players have had a tremendous impact on our performance taking us deep into playoffs," Campbell said. "With Alex and Colin you have two older guys who have had plenty of experience already playing at the post-secondary level, so that gives us some experience and additional veteran leadership."

LaForme was matched up with Doornekamp for much of the later stages of the game, holding Carleton's star to a pointless third quarter.

Rookies Ryan Barbeau (Belleville, Ont.) and Garrett Olexiuk (Burlington, Ont.) have also been important bench players down the stretch, contributing in key minutes.

Rookie guard Ryan Barbeau (Belleville, Ont.) played vital minutes for the Mustangs in the opening quarter.

"With two top-level high school recruits in Ryan and Garrett, we have a pair of very talented players," he said. "And the more experience they get, the more impact they'll have in our performance."

"They've been thrown into the fire of the OUA playoffs and have given us a tremendous effort off the bench."

"We're very pleased with the smooth transition the four of the have made into the make up of our team."

Western   17 16 19   13 = 65

Ravens    20  17  21  23 = 81