KINGSTON, Ont. (January 23, 2015) – With a second half comeback, the Gaels (8-3) won their sixth consecutive game 79-77 over the Toronto Varsity Blues (6-5) in overtime on Friday night at the ARC.
                                                             
Emily Hazlett (Fredericton, N.B.) led the Gaels with 20 points while Abby Dixon (North Vancouver) had a standout performance for the Gaels scoring all 15 of her points in the second half. Queen's saw big nights from post player Robyn Pearson (Toronto) with nine rebounds and 17 points as well as Liz Boag (Kingston, Ont.) with eight points. On the Blues side, Jill Stratton led all scorers with a double double, grabbing 11 rebounds and 31 points. She was followed by Rahshida Atkinson who contributed 17 points to her team's score.
 
The Gaels had a slow start which the Blues took advantage of, breaking down the Gaels defence and nearly doubling them in rebounds to grab a 21-14 lead going into the second quarter.  The Blues continued to answer every one of the Gaels plays by running the seams and hitting layups, stretching their lead to 15 points.  The Gaels kept close behind throughout the first half with Jenny Wright (Kingston, Ont.) sinking a buzzer beating three point shot to shrink the deficit to a 40-30 Blues lead at halftime.
 
The Blues got the first basket of the second half with their momentum carrying them to get ahead of the Gaels with a game high 17 point lead. The Gaels responded with an 11-2 run led by Dixon to come within five points of Toronto going into the final frame. The Gaels improved second half defence forced the Blues to rearrange giving Queen's all the opportunity they needed to score their first lead of the game with two minutes on the clock. It was see-saw action for the last minutes of regulation time with both teams trading baskets to push the game into overtime, tied 71-71.
 
There was a lid on the basket for the Blues for the first three minutes of overtime action as the Gaels pushed ahead with unanswered baskets. With 40 seconds on the clock Hazlett sealed the deal with a layup and as the Blues scrambled to tie it up once more, the Gaels ran out the clock with a 79-77 victory.
 
"Since I've been on the team, we haven't lost an overtime game," Hazlett commented on heading into the extra frame. "We were pumped going in and we had the momentum. Our focus was on our defence and we really buckled down there, which is what got the offence going on the other side."
 
"It's routine," said Head Coach Dave Wilson. "It's what we do. The longer the game goes, the better it is for us because we can outrun everybody."
 
The Gaels will try to extend their winning streak tomorrow night when they host the No.8 Ryerson Rams at 6:00 pm in the ARC Main Gym.