Box Score WINDSOR, Ont.- The Windsor Lancers women's basketball team has reclaimed the OUA banner after holding off the upstart Carleton Ravens 56-51 in front of a near-capacity crowd at the St. Denis Centre on Saturday night.

Holding a significant lead at halftime, the Lancers had to battle a resilient Carleton squad that came as close as three points within Windsor as the contest neared to its close. 

Jessica Clemencon and Miah-Marie Langlois recorded 18 and 14 points respectively, while Jocelyn LaRocque added 11 to help the Lancers bring the provincial title back to Windsor after losing in the final last year to Ottawa. 

Elizabeth Roach garnered a game-high 22 points in a losing cause for the Ravens, who will join the Lancers at the CIS Final 8 next week in Regina, Saskatchewan. 

The East-division winners took an early lead as Roach notched two three-point baskets within the first five minutes of the contest.  However consecutive lay-ups from Langlois and Clemencon evened the score at 10-10.  Windsor took the lead on a Laura Mullins corner three on their next possession. 

Langlois showed why she was named the division's defensive player of the year, rejecting a Ravens' attempt as the visitors scoring went cold in the latter stages of the quarter.  The Windsor native followed that with a take-away which she converted into an easy lay-in at the opposite end of the floor to give the Lancers a 17-14 lead at the end of a chippy first quarter where the teams combined for eight turnovers. 

Langlois and Clemencon were on a mission in the second quarter.  After the two-time OUA West player of the year notched lay-up in the post, the back-to-back CIS tournament MVP forced another Carleton turnover on their throw-in, and notched another two points.  After a LaRocque three-pointer, Langlois took the ball to the basket, picking up the lay-up while being fouled.  She converted her free-throw, pushing the advantage up to 11.  The fourth-year all-star duo combined for 25 points in the first two quarters. 

Kovacevic got in on the action, following a three-point jumper with a block on East player of the year Alyson Bush.  The Lancers limited Carleton to just 10 points in the period, taking a 39-24 advantage into halftime.  Roach scored 16 of her team's 24 points in the first half. 

The top two squads in the conference were slow out of the gate in the second half, as both sides picked up just two points each in the first four minutes of the third quarter.  Carleton took a bite out of the advantage, coming within 11 after a 5-0 run. 

Darcy Hawkins notched a three-point basket, and the visitors tightened up on defence in the quarter, limiting Windsor to just nine points.  However, the Ravens scored just 11 of their own, and still faced a double-digit deficit heading into the final quarter. 

The floodgates opened for Carleton at the beginning of the fourth, as they picked up nine straight points topped off with a three by Hawkins that pulled them within just four points of the lead.  Meanwhile, the Lancers had ball control issues, turning over the ball on three occasions within the first few minutes of the stanza.  But the once quieted St. Denis Centre crowd came to life after LaRocque drained a deep three.  The Ravens bounced back for another basket soon after, making it a one possession contest. 

Clemencon made two critical free throws with just over a minute remaining to give Windsor a small buffer, extending their lead to five.  Hawkins' three-point attempt rimmed out after a Carleton timeout, and Langlois made 1-of-2 from the line that iced the contest for the Lancers. 

Windsor shot 40.4% from the floor compared to 36.2% from the Ravens, and outrebounded the visitors 41-30. 

Windsor is now 24-0 on the season, including both conference and playoff action.  The Lancers have won all four of their OUA banners within the last five years, and are now tied for fourth all-time in conference championships won with McMaster.  Laurentian holds 14 provincial titles, and Toronto has eight. 

The Lancers final stop this season will be at the University of Regina next week (March 15-17), where they will defend their national title at the CIS Final 8 Championship.  The women will be looking for their third-straight CIS banner.