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MOUNT PLEASNT, Mich. (AP) -- Marcus Keene had 32 points and 10 rebounds in his Central Michigan debut on Friday night and the Chippewas opened the season with a 117-53 win over Indiana-Kokomo. Continue to Article

November 12, 2016 12:17:am EST

VANCOUVER – Make it six straight national championships for the Carleton Ravens. Carleton won the CIS men’s basketball final 101-79 over the Calgary Dinos at UBC’s Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre on Sunday to once again be the last team standing in Canadian college hoops. It is Carleton’s 12th championship in the last 14 years, further cementing a legacy that was already one of a kind. It didn’t take long for Calgary’s top scorer Thomas Cooper to get a taste of the Ravens’ dominant defence. Cooper, who averaged over 25 points per game this season, had his shot blocked three times within the first five minutes. “That was huge. Getting to Cooper’s shot a couple times got in his head a little bit,” said Carleton coach Rob Smart. “He’s a hell of a player. He’s so talented and controls the game on offence. To get to him early was big.” When Carleton combines their consistently stifling defence with knockdown shooting from outside, they’re nearly impossible to beat. Fifth-year guard Gavin Resch and reserve forward Tajinder Lall hit their first two three-point attempts while Connor Wood, who was named Final 8 MVP, and Cameron Smythe each hit one three in the first quarter to stake the Ravens to a 26-14 lead that they stretched to 48-32 before halftime. The team ended up going 16-of-36 from beyond the arc. Despite being the primary focus of Carleton’s defensive efforts, Cooper still managed to pour in a game-high 25 points, but he had to work extra hard to get to his season average. “I was able to get my points. I didn’t feel limited in any way, but they definitely made me kick it a ton. Once I get past my man and there’s three or four other people waiting you just got to make the right pass,” said Cooper.  “They definitely played it smart, packing the lane and making us hit outside shots. The fact Carleton returns to the CIS winner’s circle with longtime stars Phil and Thomas Scrubb having graduated following last season and head coach Dave Smart taking a sabbatical year is a testament to the team-first emphasis put forth by the program. That was on full display in the final. The Ravens had five players reach double-digits in points led by Wood’s 22 and Resch’s 15. Kaza Kajami-Keane scored 15 points and also added 10 assists. “We look to our main guys to be good decision-makers. They move the ball really well to the open guy. When they do that and our shooters are going, we feed off it,” said Smart. “What Gavin did early loosens everything up and suddenly there’s more space for Kaza, more space for Guillaume [Boucard], more space for Connor and once we get to the heart of the defence, as long as we’re unselfish and we find the open guy, that’s the way we want to play.” When the Ravens play the way they want to play on both ends of the floor like they did Sunday, there isn’t a team in CIS that can beat them. That’s been the case for almost 15 years now and Carleton is showing no signs of slowing up. Resch and Boucard are the lone graduates from the champions, meaning the bulk of the core can be back to make a run at consecutive title No. 7. That would equal the record set by the University of Victoria from 1980 through 1986. Rob Smart made it clear after the game that his uncle Dave, the man who has been on Carleton’s bench for every championship but this one, will return as head coach next season. "He's back, he's back," Rob said with a laugh. "Lots of family time for me. He's back right away." More CIS basketball coverage from Yahoo Canada Sports: - - - - - - - Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports . Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr Continue to Article

March 20, 2016 11:30:pm EST

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March 20, 2016 7:50:pm EST