The Ryerson Rams women's basketball team came out in the second half and played shutdown defence for the final two quarters, holding the Carleton Ravens to 17 percent shooting in the second half in a 61-56 victory at Ryerson's Kerr Hall on Friday night.

The Rams trailed by six points at halftime, 33-27, before making some locker room adjustments and taking over the lead in the third quarter.

While it was their defence that got them the win, the Rams were also impressive on the other side of the court. Guard Lisa Goldring (Burlington, Ont.) led all Ryerson scorers with a game-high 22 points. Forward Angela Tilk (Welland, Ont.) also scored in the double digits for the Rams with 10 points. Guard Lacey O'Sullivan (Port Colborne, Ont.) had a rounded game with eight points, a team-high seven rebounds and three steals.

Carleton was led offensively by forward Ashleigh Cleary (Kemptville, Ont.) who netted 13 points. Guard Kendall Macleod (Brockville, Ont.) also had a strong game for the Ravens, falling one point shy of a double-double with nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

Although Carleton shot better than the Rams in the first half, Ryerson's strong defence in the third and fourth quarters dropped the Ravens shooting to 28 percent on the game. Ryerson was 39 percent from the floor. The Ravens did outshoot Ryerson from beyond the arc, 33 percent to 18 percent. The Rams got to the line more and hit more free-throws, 17-12. Carleton grabbed more rebounds, 39-26, but the Rams won the turnover battle, 16-12.

Rams head coach Sandy Pothier credited her team's second half defence as the main reason for the big win.

"We made some defensive adjustments at halftime and the team was just determined to win this game. The defence contributed most to the win," said Pothier, who added that she was happy her team held on for the important win, one that puts the Rams right back in the thick of things for first place in the division.

With the win, Ryerson's record improves to 8-5 while moving into third place in the OUA East. Carleton sees its record fall to 8-4 on the season. The Rams are tied with the Ravens with 16 points but Carleton has a game in hand. Ryerson finishes its weekend action tomorrow against the visiting Ottawa Gee-Gees.

Ben Fisher, Sports Information Assistant