MBB | Voyageurs Fall in Quarterfinal

The Voyageurs faced the top team in the OUA and U SPORTS tonight as they entered the quarterfinals of the OUA playoffs, visiting the Carleton Ravens at the Raven's Nest. The last time Laurentian was at the Raven's Nest was late January, where they fell to the top ranked team in the nation by four points. Tonight, they would have to cause a major upset to advance to the OUA semis with a lineup still short two starters in fourth year guard JD West and second year guard Kadre Gray - both due to injuries.

Though the Voyageurs competed hard in the first half, trailing by just 3 points going into the third, Carleton was able to maintain their lead as Laurentian ultimately fell with a final score of 83-69. The demise of the Vees could be directly linked to shooting percentage. Unfortunately the ball just wouldn't drop as often for the underdogs as it did for their competitors who shot 50% from the field compared to Laurentian's 39.1% success rate. 

Top contributor for the Voyageurs was graduating forward OJ Watson who earned 18 points in the match as he shot 50% from the field in his 36 minutes of game time. Graduating guard David Aromolaran followed with 12 points of his own. 

Top scorer for the Ravens was Yasiin Joseph with 26 points.

Despite the loss, this season marks strides of progress for not only individual players, but the program as a whole who improved to a 16-7 record compared to the previous season's 9-10 record. The Voyageurs will look to regain health and continue to improve in the offseason, with hopes of continuing this progress into next season. 

Maddie Lougheed

Sports Writer