Ryerson Rams beat Carleton Ravens for first-ever OUA men's basketball title

TORONTO - As Aaron Best stood ready to receive his Player of the Game award after leading his Rams to the OUA title the loudspeaker announced the Ryerson women's team had also won the women's title at another venue and the home crowd at Mattamy Athletic Centre erupted.

A tightly contested 73-68 win over the dynastic Carleton Ravens gave them reason enough to celebrate but the double-title for the women and the men was especially sweet and the first in the OUA since 2006 when McMaster accomplished the feat.

Best scored a game-high 21 points in his final home game for Ryerson and went out on top holding the oldest intercollegiate basketball trophy in Canada high. The fifth-year senior brought the Rams their first-ever Wilson Cup title as OUA champs, a trophy awarded since 1909.

"It's big for the university, it's big for all of us, it's big for the alumni, the players who've played here, it's a testament to all the work that everybody's put in," said Best standing on the court post-game with the OUA banner draped around him. "Just to see this come to Ryerson and to win it this way is a really good feeling."

With a spot in the CIS Final 8 nationals next week already cemented for both teams, the OUA final game was no formality with Ryerson seeking their first ever Wilson Cup and Carleton striving to live up to their own standard of excellence as winners of 11 of the last 13 national titles.

The final nail came down with the Ravens down three with 25 seconds left when Ryerson double-teamed the inbounder and forced Carleton into a turnover in the backcourt. It just wasn't to be, this was Ryerson's game to win.

But it took a second-half turnaround for the Rams. Carleton had been killing them on the offensive glass 9-1 and outscoring Ryerson 16-0 in second-chance points, leading 40-27 at the break.

"At halftime there was one speech and one speech only: we've got to rebound the ball. If we continue to give them second shots they're going to bury us," said Rams coach Patrick Tatham after the game.

Both coaches are serving interim duties as bench boss. Carleton's coach Dave Smart and Ryerson's Roy Rana both took a sabbatical this year leaving unfamiliar faces in Tatham and longtime Ravens assistant Rob Smart to step into the spotlight, but both embraced the challenge and are already prepping their teams for CIS Final 8.

"We've got to stay in attack mode the whole time even if you're playing with fouls you can't play tentative," said Ravens coach Rob Smart. "Our second half we fell out of what we want to do and you have to do it for a full 40 minutes and we'll take that message going forward."

Carleton was at it's best with at least four guys back and clogging the paint on defence to slow the pace. When Ryerson pushed it in transition and use their athleticism they turned the game in their favour and dictated the tempo.

"It's a stepping stone and for us to win a national championship we're probably going to have to see Carleton again," said centre Kadeem Green. "This win today shows we're capable of winning a championship next week."

Connor Wood was the x-factor for Carleton. When left open he made the defence pay with 17 first-half points including four threes. Ryerson fans screamed whenever he had the ball. But he faced foul trouble and scored just three in the second half while Ryerson pulled even.

Ryerson came out juiced in the second half and a JV Mukama three brought the Rams back to within three points, down 45-42. The Rams started to pressure full-court defence and tied the game at 55 at the end of the third.

The ball found Best's hands on a broken play in the fourth and he shot it like he knew it was going in. Splash. Up 62-59. And they controlled the game from there on out.

"It will be a challenge no doubt about it," said Tatham. "We just have to take it one game at a time and I think these guys are really hungry to get it. For now I just want these guys to enjoy it."

In the earlier match for the OUA Final Four bronze medal, Ottawa outpaced Windsor 90-77 led by Caleb Agada who scored 23 and added 12 rebounds for the Gee-Gees, despite another off-game for Player of the Year Mike L'Africain who shot a combined 3-of-28 in the two matches this weekend.

Carleton and Ryerson will have a chance to meet again in the CIS Final 8 March 17-20 at UBC. They join the host ThunderBirds, as well as Dalhousie, two teams from Canada West and a team from Quebec's RSEQ.

An at-large bid is almost certain to come from the strong OUA conference and with Ottawa winning the Final Four's bronze medal match they're the most likely to be chosen.