KINGSTON, Ont. (February 3, 2011) - It's a big weekend for basketball in the ARC this weekend as the Queen's Gaels host the Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday before taking on the Ryerson Rams on Saturday night.
The women's team will be looking to break through with a victory after several close losses in 2011, the most recent being a 66-65 heartbreaker against Carleton. The Gaels were not so close in their last contest against the Varsity Blues as they dropped an 82-48 score on the road. The Gaels kept it close after the first half before the Blues came alive in the second, outscoring the Gaels 50-23.
Brittany Moore of Hannon, Ont. was the leading scorer for Queen's with 11 points.
Queen's will be looking for a more consistent effort against Ryerson than the one which saw them squander a 12 point lead at half-time before losing in overtime. Moore led the way for the Gaels with a 25 point effort, but it was not enough to maintain the lead against a resilient Ryerson team.
The men's squad will be looking to recapture their winning ways this weekend as they are mired in a three game losing streak since upsetting the heavily favoured Varsity Blues by an 80-66 score.
Dan Bannister of Newmarket, Ont. led the way in that contest, much like he has all season, with 25 points and seven rebounds in a game that saw the Gaels shoot 50% from the field. The Gaels will be looking to duplicate that performance on Friday.
Saturday's contest against the Ryerson Rams marks a special date on the Queen's basketball calendar. The Marco W. Alessio Memorial Game will be held on Saturday in honour of the former Gaels basketball player. The Gaels played the Rams two weeks ago in Toronto and were defeated by an 89-50 score. Bannister, the inaugural Marco W. Alessio Scholarship winner for athletic and academic excellence, was the lone Gaels to reach double digits in scoring with 13 points.
The Gaels will host Toronto on Friday before playing Ryerson on Saturday. Both games will be held in the Main Gym of the Queen's ARC. Tip-off for the women's games is set for 6:00 pm, while the men are scheduled to tip-off at 8:00 pm.
