Following an undefeated regular season, the Carleton University Ravens continued to dominate in the U Sports Final 8 quarterfinals, crushing the Bishop’s University (BU) Gaiters 71–44 at UBC’s War Memorial Gym on Thursday afternoon.
The third-seeded Ravens controlled the game from start to finish, maintaining a lead throughout all four periods. Playing from behind — and perhaps intimidated by the two-time defending national champions — BU relied heavily on three-pointers, but only made an unfortunate 6 out of 31. Conversely, Carleton attempted only seven threes, instead scoring the majority of their tallies in the paint and off of free throws.
Fouls were a difference-maker in the matchup, with the Ravens earning 23 points from free throws alone. All but three Gaiters committed a personal foul, for a total of 21 for the entire team.
The Ravens got off to a hot start, setting the tone for the game with an immediate offensive push. While their efforts failed to bag a field goal, Noelle Kilbreath drew a foul and successfully put the first two points on the board with her free throws.
Facing a solid defence and repeated offensive pressure, the Gaiters remained scoreless until the fourth minute, when second-year Laurie Lafleur managed to drive into the paint for a layup. A minute later, a jump shot by Victoria Gauna tallied three more points for BU, putting the Gaiters just behind Carleton at 7–5. That’s as close as they would get to the Ravens for the rest of the game.
Carleton’s Teresa Donato soon drew a foul, made both of her free throws, and the Ravens ripped-off on a nine-point scoring streak.
The Gaiters managed to score toward the end of the first period, entering the second with some momentum and a 16–8 deficit. They scored early into the new period, but Carleton quickly responded with a layup. This pattern continued throughout the match: Every time BU chipped away at the gap, the Ravens widened it further. By halftime, Carleton led 34–20.
Carleton’s Dorcas Buisa opened the second half with a layup for a quick score.
The Gaiters failed to capitalize on their subsequent possession, with Lafleur failing her own layup attempt.
With successful rebounding on offence and defence, the Ravens hogged the ball and BU seemed to grow more desperate. With more missed shots, the Gaiters’ situation worsened. The third quarter ended, fittingly, with a Gaiter hucking the ball at the basket from beyond mid-court, hitting the backboard instead.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Ravens held a formidable 49–29 lead. The remainder of the game was clean-up — as the fouls and missed shots mounted, it was clear the Gaiters didn’t stand a chance.
With the 71–44 victory, the Ravens advance to a semifinal game on Saturday at 6 p.m. against the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, who bested them in the Ontario University Athletics Conference championship, marking their only loss over the season.
Ravens head coach Dani Sinclair — who was recently named the Fox40 Coach of the Year — is unfazed by the match-up.
“There’s going to be a lot of emotions on both sides,” she said. “We don’t focus on other teams in particular. We just try to focus on whatever is in front of us, and it just happens to be them right now.”
This article is part of our 2025 Final 8 coverage. Follow us at @UbysseySports on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, as well as @theubyssey on TikTok, to follow our U Sports basketball coverage starting March 12.
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