Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Nice to be back at home, finishing with two wins to run our league record to 14-0.  We topped Nipissing 96-46 and Laurentian 68-43. We moved to the number 4 spot in the National rankings and remain in the number 1 spot for the Province. 

Abby Dixon was name Athlete of the Week for her combined offensive & defensive performances against Brock & McMaster.

Our team, in addition to the community service and charitable fundraising they do, were involved in the Bell – Let’s Talk campaign in support of mental illness, wearing special warm up t-shirts at our game, and attending an on-campus talk by Olympian Clara Hughes.

Queen’s 96 – Nipissing 46

Playing an injury depleted Nipissing team it did not take long to gain a lead in this one.  We were a little sloppy in the opening quarter, turning the ball over 6 times, but still outscored Nipissing 19-8.  A much sharper second quarter, shooting 77%, saw us dominate the quarter 32-13 to go into half time with a commanding 51-21 lead.  We were a little less focused in the third quarter, committing another 6 turnovers, but still outscored our opponent 24-17 on 50% shooting.  Our defense tightened in the fourth quarter, surrendering only 8 points while adding 21 to finish with the 96-46 win.  Myriam Fontaine led the way with 14 points on a perfect 6 for 6 from the floor and 2 for 2 from the line.  Veronika Lavergne had 13 points and 8 boards, while Marianne Alarie had 12 points to go along with her 2 steals and 2 assists.  Robyn Pearson was her usual efficient self with 11 points on 5 of 9 shooting, and 7 boards.  We registered 22 assists on 40 made field goals, with Emily Hazlett contributing 7 of them.  51 of our 96 points came from the bench.

Q’s SID Report: http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2017/1/27/wbb_v_nipissing.aspx?path=wbball

Queen’s 68 – Laurentian 43

This game was much closer, in the early going, than the final score would suggest.  Offensively, we were producing good scoring opportunities but only connected on 8 of 21 shots in the first quarter.  Laurentian were more efficient, as they continually broke our defense down to score on 8 of their 17 shots and grab a 1 point lead, 19-20 at the quarter.  Our offensive efficiency did not improve in the second quarter, but our defence tightened a little.  We outscored Laurentian 15-9 to take a 34-29 lead into half time.  Our defence continued to be our strength in the third holding the opposition to 8 points, but continued to struggle offensively, scoring 17 on 33% shooting.  We were much more efficient in the fourth (54% from the floor) and continued to smoother them on defence, winning the quarter 17-6 to end with the 68-43 win.  Abby Dixon and Andrea Priamo both finished with 11 points and 5 boards each, while Veronika Lavergne continued her double digit streak with 10 points and 7 rebounds.  Robyn Pearson hit double digits again in rebounding with 10, to go along with her 9 points, while Emily Hazlett added 6 assists and 6 points in only 22 minutes of action.  27 of our 68 points came from the bench.

Q’s SID Report: http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2017/1/28/wbb_v_laurentian.aspx?path=wbball

Up Next on the Road:

Friday, February 3 @ Ryerson  6pm

Saturday, February 4 @ Toronto  6pm

Up Next at Home:

Friday, February 10 vs. Carleton  6pm

Saturday, February 11 vs. Ottawa  6pm

Have a great week!

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Not to sound too repetitive, but …… another successful weekend on the road, beating Brock 79-72 and then defeating McMaster (who was ranked #1 in the country), 70-68.  It runs our league record to 12-0 and marks the first time we have knocked off a #1 ranked team in the country.  Our depth continues to be a significant factor in our success.  Despite being second in the country in scoring (as a team), we do not have a single player in the top 50 in scoring.  Over the course of the season, we have had 9 different players lead us in scoring.  Last week, Robyn Pearson was named Athlete of the Week at Queen’s (for the second time) for her outstanding performances against Ryerson & Toronto.  It also marks the 4^th straight week and member of the women’s basketball team has been named Athlete of the Week (dating back to December).

Queen’s 79 – Brock 72

In the early going, this was a back and forth affair until about 4 minutes in when Brock went on an 8-2 run to go up 16-8.  We settled down and went on a 12-0 run of our own and finished the quarter up 22-20.  The second quarter was strictly a back and forth affair until Brock managed a 6-point lead with 2 minutes to go.  We closed out the quarter a little better, ending with a 37-36 lead.  Unfortunately, Emily Hazlett took an elbow to the nose late in the quarter and did not return to action (although she wanted to).  Brock managed to gain the lead, 37-38 before we went back in front for good, although only by a couple of points.  We outscored Brock 22-17 to lead 59-55 heading into the fourth quarter.  We began to pull away midway through the fourth to lead by as many as 15 (75-60) before Brock began chipping away.  We still outscored them 20-17 in the quarter to finish with a hard fought 79-72 win.  Andrea Priamo dominated the game with 24 points and 10 rebounds, with Robyn Pearson not far behind with 12 points and 15 rebounds.  Marianne Alarie also hit double digits with 10 points and 2 steals.

Q’s SID Report:  http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2017/1/20/wbb_v_brock.aspx

Queen’s 70 – McMaster 68

We started a little “tight” in this one missing our first six shots, before finding range.  We trailed 2-9 before settling down, outscoring McMaster 14-4 in the last 6 minutes of the quarter to lead 16-13 after one.  Our defense continued to be strong in the second quarter, as we slowly increased our lead to 7, while holding McMaster to only 12 points in the quarter.  We were up 32-25 at the break.  Our defensive pressure continued in the third quarter pushing Mac’s turnovers up to 20, while we outscored them 24-20 in the quarter to take a 56-45 lead into the final frame.  Early in the fourth quarter we managed to get the lead up to 12 (58-46) before Mac started to chip away.  With 3 minutes to go, our lead was down to 1-point (63-62).  For the next 3 minutes, it was a back and forth affair, although we never relinquished the lead, nor was the game every tied.  Mac’s best opportunity came with 6 seconds on the clock and a baseline inbound play, but were unable to convert.  Abby Dixon was fouled on the rebound and converted on 1 of her free throws to seal the 2-point victory, 70-68.  Abby finished with a team-high 16 points, 6 boards and 4 steals.  Her defense throughout the game was outstanding!  Emily Hazlett finished with 14 points and 5 assists, while Veronika Lavergne added 11 points, 3 boards and 2 blocked shots.  Robyn Pearson just missed her double-double, with 10 points and 9 boards, and 4 assists.

Q’s SID Report: http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2017/1/21/wbb_McMaster.aspx?path=wbball

Up Next at Home

Friday, January 27 vs. Nipissing  6pm

Saturday, January 28 vs. Laurentian  6pm

Up Next on the Road

Friday, February 3 @ Ryerson  6pm

Saturday, February 4 @ Toronto  6pm

Have a great week!

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Another successful weekend, as we beat Ryerson 79-75 in overtime, and Toronto 86-63.  In the last 3 weeks, we have beaten the #8, #7, & #6 team in the country, and continue to hold on to our #5 ranking.  We are now the only undefeated team in the country in league play with a 10-0 record.

Michelle Istead – newest Gael

I am very pleased to announce the signing of Michelle Istead to our 2017 roster.  Michelle, an Ottawa native, is a 5-8 guard heading into the Queen’s Kinesiology program.  She is a 3-time member of the Ontario Provincial Team, 2-time JUEL All-Star, was selected to the JUEL All-Defensive team, and was awarded the Dunbar Medical Community Service Award.  Michelle is a perfect fit for our program: she brings a tenacity on defence, an excellent array of offensive talent, and an incredibly competitive spirit that is becoming the hallmark of our Queen’s team.  Combining all that with outstanding character, and high academic achievement, it is not surprising that Michelle has already been warmly received into our basketball family.

Queen’s 79 – Ryerson 75 (OT)

As one might expect with teams ranked 1 spot apart in the national rankings, it was a very closely contested game which featured 10 lead changes and 12 ties.  Midway through the first quarter, Ryerson grabbed what would be, their largest lead of the game (5 points) before we climbed back to finish with a 16-15 lead after one.  In the second quarter, the pace of the game continued to increase, and while we gave up more shots than in the first quarter, our defense was a little tighter.  We finished with a 20-15 quarter, to lead 36-30 at half, which would prove to be our largest lead of the game.  We went very cold shooting in the third quarter, despite good opportunities, converting on only 3 of 18 shots (after 7 of 17 in each of the first two quarters).  Ryerson outscored us 13-18 to get within 1 point after 3 quarters.  Our shooting percentage was much better in the fourth quarter (5 of 12), but Ryerson was even better (7 of 12), and managed a bank 3 point shot with only a couple of seconds left in the fourth to force the overtime.  In overtime, our offensive execution was outstanding scoring on 6 of our 8 shots and both of our free throws to outscore Ryerson 14-10 in the 5 min. frame.  Abby Dixon recorded a career high with 21 points, 3 assists and 2 steals to go along with her excellent defense.  Four other players also hit double digits in scoring:  Emily Hazlett 11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 assists; Robyn Pearson 11 points, 7 boards; Andrea Priamo 10 points, 7 boards; and Marianne Alarie 10 points, 5 boards and 2 steals.

Q’s SID Report: http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2017/1/13/WBB_v_Ryerson.aspx

Queen’s 86 – Toronto 63

I thought we started this game quite well (having been concerned about the potential letdown after the emotional win the night before).  We shot 50% from the floor, and held Toronto to 21% to take a commanding 22-9 first quarter lead.  From that point on, although our offense continued to be effective, our defense (and careless turnovers) left us with only marginal gains in each of the next three quarters.  We outscored Toronto 22-17 in the second, 20-18 in the third and 22-19.  We did, however, do a good job at exploiting our size advantage in the post with Andrea Priamo, Robyn Pearson and Veronika Lavergne all posting double digits in scoring.  Andrea led the way with 19 points and 7 rebounds – a season high for her; Robyn notched another double-double, with 15 points and 11 boards; while Veronika had 13 points, 5 boards and 3 steals.

Q’s SID Report: http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2017/1/14/WBB_v_Toronto.aspx

Saturday’s game also marked our “Shoot for the Cure”, Breast Cancer Research game.  The players raised $375 in ticket sales, but the showcase event was the hair-cutting at half-time of the men’s game.  Andrea Priamo, who is the driving force behind the event, Adriana Conti, Trainer Katherine Bernard Yip-Choy, and sailing athlete Victoria Restivo all donated locks of their hair for patients needing wigs.  Our team members have combined their efforts with the “Run for the Cure” from the fall, where a number of other team members also joined in including: Sarah Saftich, Bridget Mulholland, Myriam Fontaine, Emily Hazlett, Kat Holt, Veronika Lavergne, Emma Ritcey, Megan Saftich, and trainer, Chris Brooker.  All-in, the have raised more than $2,600!

If you are interested in donating, please click here:  http://cibcrunforthecure.supportcbcf.com/site/TR/RunfortheCureFY17/RFTC17?team_id=102679&pg=team&fr_id=2534

Up Next on the Road:

Friday, January 20 @ Brock  6pm

Saturday, January 21 @ McMaster  6pm

Up Next at Home:

Friday, January 27 vs. Nipissing  6pm

Saturday, January 28 vs. Laurentian  6pm

Have a great week!

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Game Report

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.

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Happy New Year!

We made our way to the east coast on the 27^th of December to compete in the Thunder Selects Basketball Tournament held at St. Mary’s University in Halifax.  We opened with an ugly win over the #8 ranked St. Mary’s Huskies, followed by a disappointing loss to Acadia, and then a decent win over Dalhousie.  We did manage to squeeze in time to take the team out to Peggy’s Cove on what turned out to be a beautiful sunny morning – the players loved it.

Queen’s 55 – St. Mary’s 47

Given that we (and St. Mary’s) had almost a month off since our last full team practice, it is not too surprising that precision was not the order of the day.  This seemed to affect our shooting percentage more than anything, but our passing suffered also.  On the positive side, our “grind-out” defence, in particular the pressure we exerted on the ball, allowed us to pull out the win.  The first quarter showed little finesse by either team and resulted in a 13-8 lead for us, shooting only 29% to St. Mary’s 20% from the floor.  St. Mary’s turned the tables in the second quarter, outscoring us 11-16 to go into half in a 24 all tie.  We shot only 26% in the quarter compared to St. Mary’s 36%.  The third quarter, while still not great, was our best of the game, outscoring St. Mary’s 17-8 while shooting 46% and holding our opponent to only 10%.  St. Mary’s outscored us by 1 in the fourth, 14-15.  No question our defence, and our ability to challenge St. Mary’s 3-point shooters, made the difference.  This game did emphasize the depth of our team, however, as 27 of our 55 points came from our bench.  Emily Hazlett (playing closer to home – she’s from New Brunswick) finished with 10 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds and 3 steals, and was named Player of the Game for Queen’s.  Marianne Alarie also scored 10 points to go along with her 4 boards and 2 steals.  Abby Dixon continued her tenacious defensive work, exerting enormous pressure on the St. Mary’s guards and shooters.

Queen’s 52 – Acadia 73

As disappointing as this performance was, I must give a lot of credit to Acadia, who came out with a great deal of intensity, looking to avenge their loss to us in the pre-season.  It was evident early on in the game that our “legs were not with us”.  There was no lift in our shots and everything fell short.  Acadia outscored us 11-15 in the first, despite the fact that we had more shots than them.  We were 0 for 5 from behind the arc.  The game picked up in the second quarter, but our turnovers led to more scoring opportunities for Acadia, and they capitalized stretching their 4-point lead to 8 with a 20-24 quarter.  Acadia continued to execute in the third quarter and added another 8 points to their lead, 14-22.  Our execution in the fourth continued to struggle, only managing 7 points (to Acadia’s 12) on 12% shooting.  Our overall game shooting was only 27% and we turned the ball over 27 times.  Marianne Alarie finished with 14 points, 4 assists and 4 steals (and was named Player of the Game for Queen’s), while Myriam Fontaine chipped in with 10 points and 4 boards.

Queen’s 77 – Dalhousie 48

We got off to a very slow start in this game against a very young, but talented Dalhousie team.  Despite taking 5 more shots than Dal in the quarter, they led 14-17 after one.  Our defence really clamped down in the second quarter, forcing 10 turnovers.  Unfortunately, we struggled to convert the turnovers into points and only outscored Dal 12-6 to take a 26-23 half-time lead.  The third quarter looked like our team in mid-stride from the fall, dominating every aspect of the game.  We outscored Dalhousie 30-10 shooting 52% from the floor, 50% from the 3pt line and 83% from the foul line.  We continued to roll in the fourth quarter, winning 21-15.  Once again, our team depth was evident with 32 of our 77 points coming off the bench.  Gemma Bullard showed signs of her previous all-star status with a very efficient 13 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals (and was named Player of the Game for Queen’s), while Marianne Alarie and Robyn Pearson each added 12 points.  Robyn just missed her double-double, with 9 rebounds.  Emma Ritcey had a perfect game shooting (2 for 2 from the floor, 1 for 1 from the 3pt line, and 4 for 4 from the foul line), to finish with 11 points.  Abby Dixon was recognized as a Tournament All-Star, primarily for her outstanding defensive work, but with a solid all-around performance as well.

Up Next on the Road:

Friday, January 6 @ Western  6pm

Saturday, January 7 @ Windsor  6pm

Up Next at Home:

Friday, January 13 vs. Ryerson  6pm

Saturday, January 14 vs. Toronto  6pm (Shoot for the Cure – Breast Cancer Research game)

Have a great week!

Dave.