Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

We opened league play with back to back 6 point wins over Lakehead and Guelph. While it is great to have the wins, it is clear that our precision on offense needs much work. On a more positive note, however, our execution during special situations (after time outs, at the end of games) was pretty solid. Our conditioning also seemed to serve us well late in games. It was nice to have a full roster of 12 dressed for the game, although Meaghan MacDougall and Nicole Barnard remain sidelined with injuries.

Queen’s 58 – Lakehead 52
This was a closely contested game from the outset, trading baskets for the first 10 minutes. We held a 14-13 lead at the end of the quarter and were able to stretch that to 31-24 at the half. Our shooting was the main difference as we approached 50% in the second quarter. Lakehead battled back in the third quarter outscoring us 14-12 to cut the lead to 5. The fourth quarter was much like the first – teams trading baskets. Key to our win was our ability to take care of the ball in the second half (only 6 turnovers), which gave us a few more shots than Lakehead. Fortunately, this was enough to overcome the points we left on the table, shooting only 8-16 from the foul line. Liz Boag led the way with 14 points, while Abby Dixon had 12 and Robyn Pearson had 10 to go along with her 8 boards. Andrea Priamo was in double digits also, grabbing 12 boards to lead all in that category.

Queen’s 61 – Guelph 55
A significant (more than 4 point) lead by either team was never established until the fourth quarter in this back and forth affair. We managed to end the quarter with a 1 point lead (15-14) and would carry that through to the end of the third quarter. (Q2 = 14-14, Q3 = 12-12) Midway through the fourth quarter, Guelph managed a 4 point lead, but it was short-lived as we responded with a run of our own and establish a 6 point lead. Guelph continued to battle cutting lead to 2 within the final minute, but some good execution down the stretch allowed us to pull back ahead and hold on to the 6 point win. Gemma Bullard had a terrific evening with 19 points and 6 boards, while Emily Hazlett added 14 points and 5 boards from her point guard position.

Annual ID/Training Camp
We will be hosting our ID/Training Camp again this year, on Sunday, December 1. We will be on the court from 9:30-12:00noon and again from 1:30-3:30pm. In between will be a tour of the Athletics & Recreation Centre and a Question & Answer session with me (parents are welcome). The camp is designed for those currently in Grade 11 (and 12) who may be interested in Queen’s in the future. It is a great opportunity to show case your talents, while working with the Q’s coaching staff. There is no cost for the camp, but please send me an email so I can prepare for the numbers.

OneMatch (bone marrow program)
As I mentioned in my last newsletter, Queen’s Coach, James Bambury was a driving force behind the University’s Health Unit hosting a recruitment session for potential bone marrow donors. A relatively simple procedure of providing a cheek swab and providing the proper information, resulted in the largest collection of participants in the university’s history – more than doubling their previous best. Our team participated, not only in providing a swab, but in the promotion of the event and the recruitment of potential donors – motivated in part by a local basketball-playing teenager who is in need of a bone marrow transplant. Ideal donor candidates are males between the ages of 17 & 35.

Up Next on the Road:
Friday, November 8 @ Western 6pm
Saturday, November 9 @ Windsor 6pm

Friday, November 15 @ Laurier 6pm
Saturday, November 16 @ Waterloo 6pm


Up Next at Home:
Friday, November 22 vs. McMaster
Saturday, November 23 vs. Brock

Have a great week!

Dave.