KINGSTON, Ont. (February 22, 2014) - The No.10-ranked Queen's women's basketball team is heading to the OUA East finals after defeating the Toronto Varsity Blues 67-56 on Saturday night in Kingston Ontario.
 
The electric atmosphere in the Athletics and Recreation Centre really set the pace for this OUA East semifinal matchup. It was a high-energy, defense-oriented game for the full 40 minutes.

In the first quarter Queen's caused eight Toronto turnovers and held a 19-10 lead at the start of the second. Toronto rallied back by getting to the line (6-6), picking up their defensive energy and scoring off of forced Gael turnovers. Jenny Wright (Kingston, Ont.)  was the story of the first half for Queen's by keeping her team in the game offensively amidst Toronto's tenacious defensive efforts. She connected on some difficult takes to the hoop and finished the half leading all scorers with 13 points. Going into the second half, Queen's held the lead 38-34.
 
Jill Stratton of Toronto sparked the Varisty Blues in the third quarter by hitting loud back-to-back transition three's and shifting momentum to their favour. The Gaels were composed, they were tough and they got the job done on the defensive end.  Throughout the second half, Queen's was able to string together great defensive efforts, which lead to good offensive shot opportunities. Toronto could not weather the tri-colour storm.
 
Liz Boag (Kingston, Ont.) was the leading scorer of the game with 21 points, with 12 of those coming from three-point land. Wright was right behind her with 16 points, and Gemma Bullard (Guelph, Ont.) added 11 of her own. Alicia Van Kampen of Toronto was the high scorer for her team with 17 points, followed by Jill Stratton who added 15.

The Gaels will now host the Carleton Ravens in the OUA East Finals next Saturday March 1st at 6pm at the Athletics and Recreation Centre. Stay tuned to www.gogaelsgo.com and www.gogaelsgo.com/tickets for more info.