OTTAWA - The TMU men's basketball team fell 77-56 to the Carleton Ravens on Saturday night.

The loss, the Bold's second of the weekend, moves TMU to 11-9 on the season as playoffs approach. The Bold sit 3rd in the OUA Central with two games remaining.

The Ravens opened the contest with a 7-0 run, putting the Bold behind the eight ball early. However, TMU would respond quickly with Cameron Ramage, who scored a team-high 14 points last night, getting the Bold on the board with a three to end the hot Carleton start. Aggressive defensive play by the Bold would allow them to steal possessions from Carleton early, recording five steals in the first five minutes and forcing nine Raven turnovers.

Neither team would shoot the ball particularly well in the opening quarter. The Bold, who quickly leveled the score, would be unable to build a significant cushion over the Ravens. Conversely, Carleton, who rebounded on both ends of the court effectively throughout the first quarter, were unable to capitalize on their second chances. After the opening ten minutes the Ravens held a slight 16-13 lead over the Bold.

The Ravens would see their lead extended to nine in the early moments of the second quarter. The Bold continued to struggle on the glass, being outrebounded 23-5 through the first 12 minutes of action. Their problems were further exacerbated by eight turnovers in the first half, leading to an additional seven points.

The Ravens lead would grow to 11 as Carleton's bigs continued to clean up on the glass. David Walker, coming off the bench, would bring life to the Bold offence, scoring 18 points in the half and generating momentum with tough finishes in the paint. Despite Walker's best efforts the Bold would enter the halftime break trailing 35-30.

The third quarter was a back and forth affair. The Bold came out of the break and quickly cut the Carleton lead to a single possession. The pace of the contest would then pick up, with both sides exchanging attempts from behind the arc on consecutive possessions. Carleton would be the better shooting team as the quarter continued, re-establishing a nine point lead behind a pair of three point attempts.

The offence continued to be led by both Walker and Ramage, the only two members of the Bold to record more than four points through three quarters. The lack of scoring depth would begin to affect the Bold, however, as Carleton would extend their lead to thirteen as Ramage ran into foul trouble. 

Entering the final frame trailing 54-41, the Bold needed another player to step up offensively. However, the Ravens' transition game proved problematic for the Bold in the fourth. The Bold were unable to string consecutive stops together, despite Aaron Rhooms beginning to heat up on the offensive end giving the Bold a much-needed scoring option. 

The Bold comeback chances would essentially end with Cameron Ramage fouling out with five minutes to go in the contest. The Bold would begin to full-court press the Ravens, but were unable to steal enough possessions to climb back into the contest while missing one of their hottest scorers.

The Bold take on York in a pair of matchups that will prove pivotal to playoff seeding. The Lions sit just one win behind the Bold in the Central division at 10-9. The Bold take on York Wednesday from the MAC before taking on the Lions at Tait McKenzie Centre on February 17.