Hi Folks,
We had a very successful weekend on the road, beating Western 69-49, and Windsor 73-56, to run our league record to 8 and 0. We are currently ranked #1 in Ontario and will have to see where we land in the country’s Top 10 (our loss to Acadia in exhibition will hurt us, but wins over St. Mary’s #8 and Windsor #7 will help).
Queen’s 69 – Western 49
This game was a much tougher battle than the score might indicate, although we did get off to a great start in the game and led 21-12 after the first on 40% shooting. Our defense, which has been getting consistently better, held Western to 28% in the opening frame. However, the second quarter was a different story, with Western exploiting some sloppy defense on our part and getting their shooting percentage to a respectable 40%. However, despite only shooting 34%, we were able to capitalize on second chance point and turnovers to outscore Western 15-14 and go into half time with a 36-26 lead. The third quarter was much a repeat of the second – our defense not as solid as we would like, but crashing the offensive glass and getting second chance points. The third quarter ended in a 16-16 draw. The first 3 minutes of the fourth were the same, until a Western player (Alex Van heeswyk) went down and stayed down with an injury. Taking the proper precautions, she was transported via spinal board to hospital (she is now recovering with no permanent damage). Following the 30min. delay, we came out as sharp as how we started the game, and quickly turned the 10-point lead into 20, surrendering only 1 field goal in the quarter, while outscoring Western 17-7. Andrea Priamo lead the way in scoring with 15 points and 9 boards, while Veronika Lavergne had 12 points and 6 boards. Emily Hazlett finished with 10 points, and Robyn Pearson hit double digits with her 14 rebounds.
Q’s SID Report: http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2017/1/6/WBB_v_Western.aspx?path=wbball
Queen’s 73 – Windsor 56
Ranked #7 in the country, we knew we were in for a battle in Windsor’s gym, however, it was us that took the aggressive approach and it paid off. Windsor executed their quarter court offence well early in the game, only to have us beat them down the court and score in transition – both after misses and after scores. We opened up a 4 point first quarter lead, 19-15. Then our defence took over: our ability to pressure the ball carrier and their wings almost completely shut down Windsor’s offence forcing 9 turnovers in the quarter. We outscored them 22-8 in the second to carry a 41-23 lead into half time. Our defense continued to dominate in the third quarter, although our offense struggled. We again, held Windsor to 8 points while putting up 13. The lead did not fluctuate through the first half of the fourth quarter, but Windsor managed to chip away in the final 5 minutes to reduce the 23-point margin down to 17. Despite scoring 73 points, we only had one player in double figures – a very balanced attack. Abby Dixon scored 15 points and had 5 steals, but it was all the other “pressures” she exerted that really made her a standout in the game. Emily Hazlett set a new career high with 10 assists as she continued to draw defenders and find the open player. Robyn Pearson continued her dominance on the boards with 11 rebounds.
Q’s SID Report: http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2017/1/7/wbb_v_Windsor.aspx?path=wbball
Fittingly, Emily Hazlett has been named the Queen’s Athlete of the Week.
One sad note to pass along: former Women’s Basketball Student Trainer, Julie Moon has passed away at the age of 38 from Pancreatic Cancer. Julie served as our trainer from 1999 to 2001 and was the recipient of the “Hal Dunlop Shield” in 2001, which is awarded each year to the top student trainer. Julie was not only an outstanding trainer, but a great friend and confident to the players, helping the team to our first National Championship appearance in 2001. Julie’s older sister, Wendy, was a member of the Gaels for the 5 years prior to Julie’s tenure. Our thoughts go out to her family and friends.
Up Next at Home:
Friday, January 13 vs. Ryerson 6pm
Saturday, January 14 vs. Toronto 6pm (Shoot for the Cure – Breast Cancer game)*
Up Next on the Road:
Friday, January 20 @ Brock 6pm
Saturday, January 21 @ McMaster 6pm
* Some of our players will be cutting their hair at half time of the men’s game to be donated for the production of wigs for cancer patients. Monetary donations can be made at the following site:
http://cibcrunforthecure.supportcbcf.com/site/TR/RunfortheCureFY17/RFTC17?team_id=102679&pg=team&fr_id=2534
This site has been in place since the fall, when the players started raising money through the Run for the Cure program and are continuing with our Shoot for the Cure initiative.
Have a great week!
Dave.
The official blog of Queen's University - Athletics and Recreation.
