Carleton repeats as U Sports men’s basketball champions with win over Dalhousie

OTTAWA — The Carleton Ravens are once again the Canadian university men’s basketball champions.

The No. 1 Ravens defeated the No. 2 Dalhousie Tigers 74-65 in Ottawa on Sunday night to win their second straight U Sports men’s national title.

Carleton has won nine of the last 10 championships and 15 overall, the most in Canadian university history.

Biniam Grebrekidan led Carleton to gold with 19 points.

The Ravens were down 12 points at halftime but staged a furious comeback. They outscored Dalhousie 26-18 in the third quarter and the pro-Carleton crowd was on its feet heading into the final frame.

It was back-and-forth through the fourth, but the Ravens pulled away after a three-pointer from fourth-year guard Munis Tutu put Carleton ahead for good.

Tutu had 14 points while Isiah Osborne added 12. The Ravens’ defence smothered Dalhousie for just 11 points in the fourth quarter.

Alex Carson led all scorers with 20 points for the Tigers in a losing effort.

Dalhousie was attempting to win its first-ever national title. Up until Sunday, the Tigers had only lost one game all season — by just one point.

Carleton dominated their U Sports competition all year. They lost only one game — also by just one point.

Attendance for the finale at TD Place Arena at Lansdowne Park was 4,103.

Earlier Sunday the No. 3 UBC Thunderbirds defeated the No. 5 Western Mustangs 99-82 to win the bronze medal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2020.

Adam Stanley, The Canadian Press