KINGSTON, Ont. (February 6, 2016)- The Queen's Gaels women's basketball team picked up its second victory in as many nights on Saturday evening at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC), using a strong second half to defeat the Lakehead Thunderwolves 69-51.
 
North Vancouver, B.C. native Abby Dixon picked up a team-high 15 points and added 11 rebounds to pick up her second double-double of the season. Toronto product Robyn Pearson also tallied a double-double for the second night in a row, tallying 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Emily Hazlett (Fredericton, N.B.) and Andrea Priamo (Guelph, Ont.) dropped 13 and 11 points respectively.
 
The Gaels (11-3) pick up their second win in as many nights, and remain second in the OUA East division. Katelyn Andrea recorded a game-high 17 points in a losing cause for the Thunderwolves (5-8), who remain fourth in the Central division.
 

MUST SEE - @robynpearson94 with a vicious block in the Gaels win over Lakehead #LeadTheWay pic.twitter.com/Ni8OzOitBs

— Queen's Gaels (@queensgaels) February 7, 2016

GAME FLOW
Both squads were a bit slow out of the gate, each shooting under 25% through the first 10 minutes of play. For the second evening in a row, the hosts gave themselves plenty of scoring opportunities, pulling down 10 offensive rebounds in the first quarter alone. They were able to turn those boards into just three second-chance points, however, while the visitors went nearly five minutes without draining a basket before Maggie Murphy hit a three late in the first. The Gaels held a 15-11 advantage heading into the second quarter.
 
The teams traded points throughout the opening minutes of the second quarter, but neither side was able to build significant momentum offensively over the final minutes before halftime. Both the Gaels and Thunderwolves were able to tally just a single three-point basket in the half, a rarity especially for Lakehead who averages the most three-pointers per game in the OUA. The teams combined to go 2-of-26 from distance, but the hosts used some strong post-play and free throw shooting (7-8) to build a 30-23 lead at the half.
 
After the Thunderwolves cut the lead to as low as five in the third quarter, the Gaels picked up their offense and built their lead back up throughout the rest of the period. The women went on an 8-2 run to end the quarter, which included a mid-range jumper from Andrea Priamo that gave the hosts its first double-digit lead. Another basket by Dixon at the buzzer put the Gaels up by 13 heading into the fourth.
 
The Gaels continued to pick up momentum in the final period, going on an 8-0 run that included two lay-ups from Pearson in the post that put the women up by 20 points midway through the fourth. That was more than enough to secure Queen's 11th victory of the season.
 
FINAL SAY
"I thought Lakehead did a very good job of keeping us off balance in the first half," said Head Coach Dave Wilson. "We knew they would have some different defenses that they would throw against us, which was effective for them in the first half. In the second half we had some solutions and a little bit of time to think about it, and did a much better job of executing obviously."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
2- Two Gaels earned double-doubles on the evening (Robyn Pearson and Abby Dixon)
12- Queen's turned over the ball on just 12 occasions, while picking up 13 points off takeaways
4- The women now hold a 4-1 record at the ARC in regular season play
61- Queen's dominated the glass for the second night in a row, picking up a total of 61, compared to 34 from the Thunderwolves
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels will continue their homestand next Friday, February 12 when they host the Western Mustangs at the ARC. The women then head to Toronto the day after to take on the Windsor Lancers at the Enercare Centre in a special event as part of NBA All-Star Weekend.