SUDBURY, Ont. (January 16,2010) – The Gaels' six-game win streak came to an end in a 78-54 loss to the Laurentian Lady Vees in Sudbury on Saturday evening.
The loss marks the first time the Gaels have been on the losing end since November 21, 2009, against the Western Mustangs.
Brittany Moore of Hannon, Ont., was the Gaels leading scorer in the loss with 13 points, while
Katie Guthrie of Orillia, Ont., had 11.
Jill Wheat of Marwayne, Alta., led the Gaels in rebounds bringing down eight.
The Gaels came out defensively strong in the opening minutes of the game, but struggled to gain offensive movement against the Vees tight defence, keeping the game evenly matched. A Laurentian offensive drive in the late minutes of the quarter, however, allowed the Vees to pull ahead and end the quarter with a six point lead.
The Vees continued to increase their lead in the opening minutes of the second quarter with an 8-2 run. After a Gaels time-out Queen's had an 11-2 run of their own, narrowing the deficit to one. By the end of the first half the Gaels trailed by three points with a score of 36-33.
The Gaels struggled to tie the game in the third quarter, and Laurentian slowly built a lead with their perimeter shooting. By the end of the third quarter the Vees had gained a 12 point lead. The fourth quarter saw the Gaels unable to make a late drive to narrow the 12 point gap. At the final buzzer the score was 78-54 for the Laurentian Vees.
Laurentian forward Lisa Furchner of Sudbury, Ont., was the leading scorer in the game with 21 points. Top rebounder for the Vees was Darrah Bumstead of New Hamburg, Ont., with 14 boards.
The loss drops the Gaels record to be 9-5, leaving the opportunity for the Carlton Ravens, currently with a 9-4 record, to move to first place in the OUA East Division with a win.
The Gaels next game is on January 22 against the Carlton Ravens in Ottawa, Ont. The Gaels will meet the Lady Vees again in the regular season when they host their first game in the new Queen's Centre on January 29.
