KINGSTON, Ont. (November 7, 2015) - The Gaels start the 2015-16 regular season strong with a 70-66 win over the visiting York Lions Saturday night in the main gym of the ARC.

GAME FLOW
Queen's came right out of the gates against York as they put up 22 points while only allowing 15 against in the opening quarter. Gaels guard Sukhpreet Singh (Toronto) lead the team shooting three out of five field goal attempts for seven points in the opening frame. Forward Ryall Stroud (Toronto) pulled in four of his seven rebounds in the first quarter.
 
The second quarter saw the Gaels defence stand strong as they only allowed the Lions offence to muster eight total points in the quarter. Queen's had two team blocks in the quarter one by Post Mike Shoveller (Arnprior, Ont.) and the other from guard/forward Tanner Graham (Kingston, Ont.). The Gaels lead by 14 points over the Lions heading into the half.
 
During the third quarter York began to cut into the Gaels lead as they outscored Queen's 23-18. The Lions 23 points scored in the quarter was from a balance attack with #3 Shane Reader and #23 Daniel Tulloch leading the way with five points each. York also received a boost from their bench play as they contributed with nine points in the third frame.
 
The final quarter featured back and fourth action between the two teams with York making the comeback push late in the game. The Lions erased a 19 point deficit to tie the game up in the dying minutes of the game but the Gaels played strong defence when it mattered and shut down the visiting team for the four point win.

Overall it was a tough battle in the second half from the Gaels in their season and home opener against York. Queen's made key defensive stops late in the game while also making pressure free throws to clinch the win.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
22 – Points scored by Sukhpreet Singh
7 – Rebounds from Ryall Stroud
15 – Bench scoring by the Gaels
46% – Queen's Field Goal Percentage
15 – Total team Turnovers by York
12 – Total team Assists by Queen's
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels will be on the road next weekend as they travel to Sudbury to take on Laurentian on Friday night, followed by a trip to North Bay on Saturday with a matchup against Nipissing.