RECAP: #4 Gee-Gees down #10 Ravens on home court to advance to OUA semis

In a thrilling playoff matchup between established rivals, the Gee-Gees women's basketball team defeated the Carleton Ravens 57-48 at Montpetit Hall on Saturday night. The win pushes Ottawa forward to the OUA semifinals.

Shortening their lineup, the Gee-Gees used only seven players to defeat the Ravens for the third time this season. Rebounding from two difficult losses to close the regular season, the team showed their strength grinding out a character win on their home floor.

Ottawa fell behind early to start the game, with the Ravens jumping out on a 9-4 run through the middle of the first frame. The Gee-Gees were able to respond quickly establishing a 16-11 lead heading into the second. 

The Ravens locked in and limited the Gee-Gees to only eight points heading into halftime. Reclaiming the lead, Carleton held a 26-24 advantage at the break.

The teams continued to battle back-and-forth through the second half until the Gee-Gees found their stride early in the fourth quarter. Building a lead as high as 12 points, Ottawa rode outstanding performances from Angela Ribarich and Brooklynn McAlear-Fanus to victory. 

Ribarich led all scorers with 18 points, as well as tallied nine rebounds. McAlear-Fanus logged a near triple-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists, playing all 40 minutes of the matchup.

With the loss, Carleton will sit out for the remainder of the OUA playoffs having already secured their host berth in the U SPORTS Final 8. 

UP NEXT:  

The Gee-Gees advance to the OUA semifinals and will host the Ryerson Rams at Montpetit Hall on Wednesday. The winner of the game will punch their ticket to the Final 8, which will be hosted at TD Place in Ottawa from March 6-8. 

Tip-off for the game is set for 6 p.m. tickets are available at tickets.geegees.ca and the game will be streaming live on OUA.tv.