Oakville’s Pocrnic named U SPORTS basketball player of the week after win at nationals

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Published March 16, 2023 at 10:42 am

Former St. Ignatius of Loyola Secondary School student Kali Pocrnic was named the U SPORTS basketball player of the week after leading Carleton University to a national women's championship last weekend in Atlantic Canada. U SPORTS PHOTO

A big performance on the court at the national championships in Halifax has landed Oakville’s Kali Pocrnic the U SPORTS basketball player of the week for the period ending March 12.

The second-year point guard and Psychology student, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player, helped lead the Carleton Ravens to a weekend sweep and to a second Final 8 championship in the university’s history.

The former St. Ignatius of Loyola Secondary School student helped Carleton rally from a five-point deficit in the gold medal game to beat the Queen’s Gaels, 71-59.

Pocrnic scored a team-high 20 points and eight assists to lead the top-seeded Ravens past the No. 3 ranked Gaels.

Carleton opened the national championship tournament with a 56-51 quarterfinal win over host Cape Breton with Pocrnic leading the way with 15 points and four assists.

The sophomore followed that up with another big performance on the court, recording 17 points and seven assists in the Ravens’ 65-46 semifinal win against St. Mary’s on Saturday.

The women’s championship capped off a big weekend for Carleton, which also won the men’s title, defeating St. Francis Xavier University 109-104 in double overtime.

It was the fourth-straight national championship for the Ravens’ men’s team and marked the first time in 38 years that one university has claimed both national titles.

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