Men’s Basketball News

Men’s Final 8

2022 U SPORTS Men’s Final 8 Basketball Championship Quarterfinal 4: Carleton punches ticket to semifinal with 94-77 win over Victoria

U SPORTS Staff

EDMONTON – Led by third-year guard Aiden Warnholtz with 17 points, the  No.7 seeded Carleton Ravens, shot 61 percent from the field, including 45 percent from three, to dispatch the No. 2 ranked Victoria Vikes 94-77 late Friday evening at the Saville Centre.

The Ravens boasted five players who scored in double digits but were led by Warnholtz and third-year forward Biniam Ghebrekian with 17 points. Fourth-year guard Alain Louis flirted with a triple-double, scoring 16 points, 10 rebounds while dishing eight assists.

“They are a really tough team, there was a reason they were the No. 2 seed. We knew they have a lot of really good players, and we had to match their intensity,” said 2022 U SPORTS Player of the Year, Lloyd Pandi of the Ravens. “Credit to them. They got some rebounds, and they knocked down some shots.”

U SPORTS first-team All-Canadian Scott Kellum paced the Vikes with 19 points while rookie teammate Elias Ralph added 18.

Carleton’s quest for a third straight U SPORTS banner is intact as they utilized their depth effectively against a sharpshooting Vikes team that ranked first in the country in three-point percentage.

“It’s going to be fun. Everyone is going to be watching. The Bears are ready, and the fans wanted to see the two of us play,” said the Pandi on playing the host Alberta in the semifinal on Saturday. “We can’t focus on the outside noise though, we need to just focus on us.”

The two offensive powerhouses traded blows in the first half, with Kellum and Warnholtz leading the Vikes and Ravens in scoring, respectively. It was a shot-for-shot battle in the first quarter, as the teams combined to shoot 55 percent from the field. The Ravens were able to leverage their U SPORTS top-ranked shooting and defence to pull ahead into halftime with a 51-38 lead.

The Vikes would battle in the second half, including a 26-22 third quarter over the Ravens, but Carleton’s hot shooting night never cooled. Ravens guard Connor Vreeken scored 10 second-half points to keep Carleton’s title march intact.

With the win, Carleton will play the host No. 3 Alberta Golden Bears on tomorrow at 8 PM MST/10 PM EST in the Championship semifinal, while the Vikes will face the No. 6 McGill Redbirds in the Consolation semifinal tomorrow at 3 PM MST/ 5 PM EST

Boxscore

Nike Top Performers

  • Carleton Ravens: Alain Louis
  • Victoria Vikes: Elias Ralph