Women's Basketball - Playoff Game Report

Hi Folks,

We had success in our opening round playoff matchup, beating Lakehead 81-53.  Lakehead, the #9 seed in the tournament, upset the #8 Brock Badgers on Wednesday, February 22^nd to advance to the quarter finals against us.  Western, the #11 seed upset #6 Ottawa, then lost to #3 McMaster.  Laurier #7 beat Toronto #10, before losing to #2 Carleton.  Ryerson #5 beat York #12, but then fell to Windsor #4.

The top four seeds have now advanced to the Final Four, hosted by Queen’s this coming weekend: #1 Queen’s vs. #4 Windsor, and #2 Carleton vs. #3 McMaster. 

Queen’s 81 – Lakehead 53

We opened the game very well forcing a couple of quick turnovers, leading to run-out layups, and by getting the ball inside to our bigs.  Lakehead, however, battled back, as our shooting went ice-cold.  We finished the quarter in a 17-17 tie.  Lakehead opened the second quarter with a bucket that game them their first (and only) lead in the game.  While our shooting was not great, our defense forced Lakehead into 9 second quarter turnovers, allowing us to put up 19 points to their 9 and grab a 36-26 half-time lead.  We opened the third quarter quite well, but slumped again in the mid part of the frame.  We finished the quarter very well, however, outscoring Lakehead 21-12.  We continued to dominate on the glass and force multiple turnovers in the fourth, adding to our lead, 24-15 to finish with the 81-53 win.  Marianne Alarie led the way with 19 points and 4 steals, while Andrea Priamo and Bridget Mulholland each had 12 points.  Robyn Pearson chipped in with an efficient 10 points and 7 boards.  Once again, our depth was a big factor in the game, with 37 points and 22 of 53 rebounds coming from the bench, along with 7 of our 16 steals.

Q’s SID Report: http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2017/2/25/basketball-w-no-5-gaels-and-lakehead-oua-quarter-final.aspx

Up Next at Home:

The Critelli Cup (Ontario Championship)

Friday, March 3

Queen’s vs. Windsor  6pm

Carleton vs. McMaster  8pm

Saturday, March 4

Bronze Medal  6pm

Gold Medal  8pm

Tickets can be purchased on-line at: www.gogaelsgo.com/tickets

Have a great week!

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks, Just the one game to report on this weekend, as we closed out the regular season with a win over York 76-52.  We finish with an 18-1 regular season record, and locked up 1st place in the province and home court advantage throughout the playoffs. The 18 league wins represents the highest win total in Queen’s basketball history.  After climbing to a #3 ranking in the country, our loss last weekend to Carleton, dropped us back to #5.  We do, however, remain ahead of Carleton in the RPI ratings (used for our playoff seedings).  We each have an 18-1 regular season record, but their loss was to a lower ranked team (Algoma), thus adversely affecting their rating. Following the game, we recognized 5th year graduating players, Gemma Bullard, Robyn Pearson and Emily Hazlett – all three making huge contributions to our program and leaving a legacy of winning, commitment, selflessness, and determination. Queen’s 76 – York 52 We opened the game very well, utilizing our pressure defense to force turnovers, which were quickly converted into points.  We hit on 12 of 12 first quarter shots to lead 25-12 after one.  We kept the pressure on in the second quarter, forcing another 6 turnovers, but our conversion rate dropped connecting on only 6 of 22 shots, but adding a few points from the foul line to outscore York 18-12 and go into half time with a 44-24 lead.  We opened the third quarter very well as our shooting touch returned.  Defensively we were a little careless, ending up with a 25-16 margin in the quarter.  Our shooting went very cold again in the fourth quarter, but with the game well out of reach, we cruised to the 76-52 win.  Bridget Mulholland picked up where she left off in the Ottawa game, dropping a very efficient 17 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 2 steals.  Despite scoring 76 points in the game, no one else scored in double digits – a testament to the balanced scoring we have been seeing all season.  Of note, however, Robyn Pearson collected another 9 rebounds, moving her into 4th spot in the OUA all-time rebounding with 866 rebounds. Q’s SID Report: http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2017/2/17/WBB_York.aspx For a look at the opening round of the playoffs scheduled for Wednesday, February 22nd (we have a bye) please see:  http://oua.ca/sports/wbkb/2016-17/postseason/schedule We will host the winner of the Lakehead @ Brock game. Up Next at Home: OUA Quarter-Finals* Saturday, February 25 vs. Brock or Lakehead  6pm *please note that due to OUA regulations, season’s passes and complimentary tickets are not available for any playoff games Have a great week! Dave.

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

For the first time this season, I have to report a loss, as Carleton beat us 52-60.  I am pleased to report, however, that we bounced back the next night to beat Ottawa 55-44.  We had climbed to #3 in the country, although the loss this weekend will set us back – Carleton came in ranked #5.  We do maintain our #1 ranking in Ontario – Carleton lost early in the season to Algoma, adversely affecting their RPI (Ratings Percentage Index), which is what is used to produce our Provincial playoff rankings.  (See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rating_Percentage_Index for more info)

Queen’s 52 – Carleton 60
This was the tough, physical battle we’ve come to expect from a very talented and very tall Carleton team.  Our defense was quite solid to start the game, and we shot a reasonable percentage, however, it was our turnovers that was the problem.  We committed 9 turnovers in the opening frame and trailed 12-13.  In the second quarter we did a better job of taking care of the ball, but our shooting percentage dropped to 33%.  Carleton outscored us 11-14 to take a 23-27 lead into half time.  At this point, shooting percentages were almost identical across the board (2’s, 3’s, foul shots).  In the third quarter, our shooting percentage improved (43%) and we held Carleton to just 25%, however they were able to connect on 3 of 7 from 3pt. range.  We outscored them 17-12 to take a 1 point lead heading into the fourth.  Our shooting percentage deserted us in the fourth connecting on only 4 of 21 shots, including only 1 of 6 from beyond the arc.  We trailed by 4 with just over a minute remaining – intentionally fouling did not help, as Carleton converted their free throws to finish up 8, 52-60.  We actually beat Carleton in virtually every statistical category (rebounding, turnovers, steals), just not shooting percentage 32% to 37%.  Emily Hazlett finished with 16 points and 4 steals, while Marianne Alarie added 11 points and 2 steals.

Q’s SID Report: http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2017/2/10/WBBvCarleton.aspx?path=wbball

Queen’s 55 – Ottawa 44
Like Carleton, Ottawa is a very tough team to score against – very physical and well disciplined in their rotations.  Our pressure defense and transition quickness allowed us to get a couple of early run-out hoops (the likes of which we would not see again).  We led 14-9 after the first.  The second quarter, we started to pull away, but Ottawa stormed back to keep it a 5-point game.  We each scored 16 in the quarter.  Again, in the third, we started to pull away, but Ottawa battled back, each of us managing only 12 in the quarter.  We led 42-37 after three.  The game remained at a 5 or 7-point spread through the first 7 minutes of the quarter, until Bridget Mulholland hit back to back 3s to break open the game.  Our defense held and we outscored Ottawa 13-7 in the final frame, for the 55-44 win.  Marianne Alarie led the way with 14 points, 6 boards and 3 steals, while Andrea Priamo added 12 points and 9 rebounds.  Bridget Mulholland scored all of her 11 points in the second half (7 in the fourth quarter).

Q’s SID Report: http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2017/2/11/wbb_Ottawa.aspx?path=wbball

Up Next at Home:
Friday, February 17 vs. York (Graduating Athlete’s Night) (Gemma Bullard, Emily Hazlett, Robyn Pearson)

A look ahead:
We know that we will finish in the top 3 of the province, and therefore receive a bye in the first round of the playoffs (set for Wednesday, February 22^nd).  We will play at home on Saturday, February 25^th at 6pm, opponent to be determined.  If we take care of business against York on Friday, we will finish 1^st in the Province and have home court throughout the playoffs.

Have a great week!

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Managed to grab another couple of wins as we closed out our road league games, beating Ryerson 60-59 and Toronto 71-44.  This runs our league record to 16-0, and ensures us a playoff bye in the first round.  We will close out the regular season over the next two weekends at home.  We held steady at the #4 spot in the National Polls.  Our next opponent is Carleton – currently ranked #5.

Q’s SID Feature Article:  http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2017/2/1/basketball-w-an-inside-look-the-only-undefeated-team-in-u-sports-womens-hoops-the-no-4-gaels.aspx?path=wbball

Queen’s 60 – Ryerson 59

After needing overtime to beat Ryerson 79-75 on January 13^th, it wasn’t surprising to see this game as close as it was.  Despite going down 5 points at the beginning of the game, our pressure keyed our success, grabbing 4 steals in the opening quarter, leading to 6 points.  We held a 14-11 lead after one.  The trend continued in the second quarter, as we grabbed another 4 steals, while stiffening our defense further.  We outscored Ryerson 19 to 9 to go into half time with a 33-20 lead.  The third quarter was a back and forth affair, with neither team able to mount any kind of run.  We extended our lead by two, outscoring Ryerson 14-12 on the strength of our rebounding (51-35 at this point).  Ryerson went on a tear to begin the fourth quarter putting 16 of the first 18 points in the quarter, making it a one-point game.  Shortly afterward, they would tie it up at 58.  We were shooting a dismal 25% to their blistering 67%.  A tough driving hoop by Emily Hazlett put us up 2, followed by a foul shot by Ryerson to close within one.  A last second inbound play by Ryerson missed the mark, leaving us with a very fortunate 60-59 win.  Hazlett finished with a season-high 15 points, along with 4 boards, 4 steals and 3 assists.  Robyn Pearson had another double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Abby Dixon finished with 11 points and 4 steals.

Q’s SID Report:  http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2017/2/3/wbb_v_ryerson.aspx?path=wbball

Queen’s 71 – Toronto 44

We jumped out to a 7-point lead early in the quarter, but struggled with our finishing, only shooting 25%.  We did, however, hold Toronto to 14% shooting and led 14-7 after the first quarter.  Despite improving our shooting in the second quarter, our defense was a little looser.  After going up 9 points, Toronto battled back to within 2 points, before we settled down to rebuild a 9-point half time lead, 30-21.  We played a very solid third quarter, racking up 24 points on 48% shooting, while holding Toronto to 11 points on 22% shooting.  We led 54-32 after three.  Determined not to let Toronto claw its way back into the game, we kept the pressure on and finished with a 17-12 quarter and the 71-44 win.  Robyn Pearson had a very efficient 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Marianne Alarie was solid with 15 points, 6 boards and 4 steals.

Up Next at Home:

Friday, February 10 vs. Carleton  6pm

Saturday, February 11 vs. Ottawa  6pm

Friday, February 17 vs. York  6pm (Graduating Athlete Night)

Have a great week!

Dave.