{"id":100160,"date":"2026-02-03T08:39:53","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T13:39:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/?post_type=cu_story&p=100160"},"modified":"2026-02-03T08:41:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T13:41:42","slug":"carleton-ravens-basketball-3x3-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/carleton-ravens-basketball-3x3-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Champions: Ravens Win Basketball World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n\n \n \n \n \n
\n\n
<\/div>\n \n
\n
\n\n

\n Global Champions: Ravens Win Basketball World Cup\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

Under the sweltering heat of Bras\u00edlia’s mid-November sun, four members of the Ravens women’s basketball team took to the international stage at the 2025 FISU 3×3 Basketball University World Cup<\/a>, facing down fierce competition and securing the championship title for the first time in Canadian university history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ingrid Matteau, Tatyanna Burke, Dorcas Buisa and Noelle Kilbreath, members of Carleton’s 2024-25 U SPORTS national championship team, reunited in Brazil’s capital to take on university teams from Spain, China and Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Four
Kwesi Loney, Ingrid Matteau, Noelle Kilbreath, Dorcas Buisa and Tatyanna Burke (photo by FISU Media, International University Sports Federation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“I’m very honoured and humbled to have the opportunity to play for Canada and win,” says Buisa, who graduated prior to the FISU tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n

“I’m really happy that I was able to have another opportunity to wear my jersey and represent Carleton.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

FISU gathered defending championship teams from across the globe to compete. The international venue and fast-paced nature of the tournament gave the trip a surreal quality, says Burke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You’re picking up and travelling to another country to try to beat teams from around the world that you’ve never played over the course of a few days. It’s eye-opening.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dorcas
Dorcas Buisa drives hard to the rim, sizing up her defender off the dribble during fast-paced game action (photo by FISU Media, International University Sports Federation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Different Ball Game<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the defending national champions here in Canada, the Ravens dominate in five-on-five games. Taking those skills to the three-on-three variation presented new challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s the same sport but there are big differences,” says Matteau.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n

“The ball isn’t the same size or weight, it’s not the same court size, it’s a shorter shot clock. There are a lot of adjustments that need to be made to our strategy.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The pace of play is a departure from what the Ravens were used to playing against Canadian competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Carleton University’s Ingrid Matteau controls the ball during a 2025 FISU 3×3 Basketball University World Cup game (photo by FISU Media, International University Sports Federation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“It seems short because games are only 10 minutes long, but it’s quite intense,” says Kilbreath. “It’s like sprint basketball.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because it’s an outdoor tournament, the players also had to contend with external elements during their games, including high heat and humidity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s one thing playing three games in one day, but it’s another thing when it’s more than 30 degrees outside,” says Buisa.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n

“Fighting through fatigue and the mental battle of focusing on the game were things we had to hold each other accountable for.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

To help maintain their health and stamina throughout the tournament, the players credit Kwesi Loney<\/a>, director of High Performance Sport at Carleton, for ensuring the team stayed fuelled and ready to bring their best to the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“There are times when you’re just so tired, but we kept saying the word \u2018tired’ does not exist,” says Kilbreath. “And when you think about it, it’s only 10 minutes. I can do anything for 10 minutes.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Noelle Kilbreath gets ready to take a free throw (photo by FISU Media, International University Sports Federation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ravens Return for the Title<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This isn’t the first time Carleton vied for the world title. In 2024, the Ravens lost to China’s Huazhong University of Technology in the championship game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year’s team was not about to let history to repeat itself as they faced off against their rivals once again in the semifinal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We knew it was our biggest rivalry,” says Matteau.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n

“We had a lot to prove to ourselves and the girls who were watching in Canada.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Ravens fought hard in an intense back-and-forth match, ultimately emerging victorious with a final score of 21 to 19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We’re always competitive but knowing that this was the team that the girls lost to last year, that definitely fired us up a little more,” says Kilbreath. “We wanted to get the championship back for them and we wanted to win for us \u2014 that was all the reason we needed.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Photo by FISU Media, International University Sports Federation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

World Champions and International Experiences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After the exhilarating match against the Chinese team, the Ravens quickly pivoted to the championship game against Vasyl Stefanyk University of Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With victory within reach, the Ravens gave it their all and triumphed 16 to 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having swept the tournament, the Ravens celebrated a perfect record in international competition.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n

“We knew we were fully capable of winning,” says Burke.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

“Once we won, it felt like a movie. I still haven’t grasped it fully, but we’re all proud of how we persevered.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Four<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In addition to competing for the international title, the players had the opportunity to make new friends from across the globe and experience a new part of the world during their short stay in Bras\u00edlia.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n

“On one of our days off we got to explore the city and be immersed in the local culture,” says Buisa, describing how the team took part in a local community celebration.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

“It’s something that I know I would never have experienced otherwise. The culture and the friendships that were shared are things I won’t forget.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

_
More Stories<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Under the sweltering heat of Bras\u00edlia’s mid-November sun, four members of the Ravens women’s basketball team took to the international stage at the 2025 FISU 3×3 Basketball University World Cup, facing down fierce competition and securing the championship title for the first time in Canadian university history. Ingrid Matteau, Tatyanna Burke, Dorcas Buisa and Noelle […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":100164,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[18],"cu_story_tag":[1928],"class_list":["post-100160","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-athletics-recreation","cu_story_tag-athletics"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/100160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/100160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100193,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/100160\/revisions\/100193"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=100160"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=100160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}