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Game Recap: Basketball (W) | 2/14/2015 6:46:00 PM | Posted by: Kaitlyn Brougham (Sports Information Student)
Strong second half by Ottawa gives Gaels 60-51 loss


KINGSTON, Ont. (February 14, 2015) – The Gaels (10-7) saw a slight halftime advantage slip away and lost 60-51 against the Ottawa Gee-Gees (11-5) on Saturday night at the ARC main gym in Kingston.

Liz Boag (Kingston, Ont.) and Abby Dixon (North Vancouver) led the Gaels with 11 points each while Emily Hazlett (Fredericton, N.B.) followed them with 10 points of her own. On the defensive end of the action the Gaels had a big night from Robyn Pearson (Toronto) who grabbed 13 rebounds. The Gee-Gees were led by Stephanie MacDonald who put up 21 points and Kellie Ring with 12 points.

It was a tight defensive first quarter with both teams locking the other out and keeping the score a low 9-5 for the Gee-Gees. The Gaels turned up the heat and scored the first baskets of the second quarter in a 7-0 run allowing them to steal the lead. Their momentum continued throughout the quarter as they managed to stretch the gap to eight points, outscoring the Gee-Gees 17-10.

Ottawa didn't let the Gaels baskets go unanswered as they picked up their offence towards the close of the half, matching the Gaels in shooting percentage and making up for most of the ground they'd lost. The Gaels managed to stay ahead with Pearson sinking a shot from the charity stripe putting Queen's up 22-19 at halftime.

The Gaels opened up the third quarter with successive turnovers giving the Gee-Gees the opening they needed to pull ahead. Boag immediately responded with a shot from behind the arc putting the Gaels back in the lead. The rest of the quarter saw see-saw action as the teams traded seven lead changes with the Gee-Gees ending up on top to lead 39-34 heading into the final frame.

Ottawa exploded into the fourth quarter to pull further ahead with a 12-4 run forcing the Gaels back onto their heels. The Gaels struggled to settle into the defensive rhythm they'd set up in the first half as the Gee-Gees found their way to the basket for 21 points. With five seconds on the clock Dixon was sent to the charity stripe for the Gaels but the Gee-Gees had solidified their win, ending ahead of the Gaels 60-51.

Tonight the Gaels honoured their three graduating players Boag, who hit the 1,000 point mark a night before, Gemma Bullard (Guelph, Ont.) and Jenny Wright (Kingston, Ont.).

"It's really tough to say something about Boag because I could talk for two hours," said head coach Dave Wilson about the fifth year veteran guard player. "The one thing I could come up with is: one hundred percent, one hundred percent of the time. I wish we could have her with the team for five more years." Wilson spoke about all three of the Gaels players, highlighting Wright's athletic versatility on and off the court and the adversity that Bullard has fought through since being a member of the team.

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