Ryerson coach Roy Rana saw the big picture Saturday night after the Rams’ 84-75 semifinal loss to the Ottawa Gee-Gees at the CIS men’s basketball championship.

A sellout crowd, announced at 4,056, at the Mattamy Athletic Centre didn’t stop cheering for the seventh-seeded Rams.

“Tonight was a special night,” said Rana, who took over the Ryerson program in August 2009.

“To see this type of support, to see this type of energy for Ryerson. When I got here, we’d have 150 people at a game and really have to beg them to come,” he added. “To see this type of support from our students and our community is pretty special. I just wish we could have won and kept it going.”

The host Rams finished fourth in the OUA with a 17-2 regular-season record. They upset No. 2 Windsor 72-68 in Thursday’s quarter-final to make the final four.

On Sunday, the Gee-Gees will face Carleton in an all-Ottawa final for the national title.

The Ravens led their semifinal against Victoria by as many as 27 points, eventually winning 83-74.

Philip Scrubb poured in 29 points, doled out 13 assists and pulled down eight rebounds to lift the top-ranked Ravens over the fourth-seeded Vikes on Saturday, earning a shot at their fifth consecutive CIS title.

And minutes after the final buzzer sounded on the second-last game of Scrubb’s college career, the guard from Richmond, B.C., lamented the mistakes his team made.

“We didn’t play well enough in the second half, and if we play like that (Sunday) we’re likely going to lose,” Scrubb said. “We’ve got a lot of things to work on, and each individual guy knows what they’ve got to do.”

Scrubb’s older brother Thomas, who will also graduate this season, grabbed 12 rebounds for Carleton. Marcus Tibbs led Victoria with 27 points.

“We were a little sloppy offensively . . . that allowed them to get some open looks and some opportunities at the other end,” said Carleton coach Dave Smart. “Sometimes bad offence leads to bad defence because you are always in the transition mode and recovering mode.”

The Ravens roared out to a 27-15 lead after one quarter, then took a 48-32 advantage into the dressing room at halftime in front of a packed house — at the venue for Pan Am Games basketball — that included a small but noisy red-clad Carleton contingent who stood and chanted all game long. One fan held a sign that read “You got Scrubbed.”

Philip Scrubb, who had 14 points plus 10 assists by halftime, contributed eight points in Carleton’s 10-2 run to open the third. The Ravens, who’d beaten Victoria 80-64 at an October tournament, led 67-50 heading into the fourth.

The late game saw the Rams lead 45-38 at halftime in their first CIS semifinal, in front of a crowd that included Toronto Raptors James Johnson and Bruno Caboclo. Vikas Gill drilled four three-pointers in a third quarter that saw Ottawa outscore the home team 25-12, and lead 61-57 with one quarter left.

Johnny Berhanemeskel topped the Gee-Gees with 20 points, while Gill would finish with 18 points. Adika Peter-McNeilly scored 17 to top the Rams, including a three with about 3:49 to play that tied it up at 67-67. But a basket and two free throws by Michael L’Africain capped an 8-0 Ottawa run that gave the visitors a 78-69 lead with 47 seconds to play.

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Smart said it’s fitting that two Ontario teams will face off in the final — Carleton, Ottawa and Ryerson were ranked 1-2-3 virtually all season.

“I think Ontario’s had the best teams all year,” the coach said. “Certainly Ryerson and Ottawa are two really good basketball teams and we’re fortunate enough to be there as well. I think Ontario, I don’t think it’s been a fluke that it’s gone this way. The Ontario teams have been the best teams most of the year and I think it’s holding true here.”