TORONTO (January 23, 2016) - Sukhpreet Singh recorded a game-high 22 points, and the Queen's Gaels men's basketball team secured their first win of the New Year, slipping past the York Lions 62-59 at the Tait Mackenzie Centre on Saturday afternoon.
 
GAME FLOW
Singh (Toronto) shot 50% (9-18) from the field to record over 20 points for the sixth time during the regular season, while Ryall Stroud (Toronto) added 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds in helping the Gaels (7-3) snap their two-game losing streak and maintain their second-place standing in the OUA East Division. Nathan Culbreath garnered a team-best 20 points in a losing cause for the Lions (3-7), who remain fourth in the East.
 
In a game that saw neither side build an advantage bigger than seven throughout, and in which the lead changed nine times, it was Singh who put the Gaels on top in a low-scoring fourth quarter. The veteran guard dropped eight points in a row for Queen's after teammate Andrew Mavety (Vancouver, B.C.) drained a three-point bucket to draw the men even with York. Singh's run gave the Gaels a six-point lead with just over a minute remaining.
 
After the Lions cut the deficit to a single point, Mark Paclibar (Minesing, Ont.) hit both of his foul shots, and Culbreath missed the game-tying shot soon after, putting the contest on ice for the Gaels.
 
Queen's shot 37.3% from the field, compared to 34.4% from the Lions.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
59- It was the second time this season that the Gaels held their opponents to under 60 points
5- Sukhpreet Singh ranks fifth in the OUA with 20.9 points per game
36- Queen's brought down 36 rebounds, compared to 41 for the Lions
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels head to the national capital next weekend to face the top two teams in the country in No. 1 Ottawa and No. 2 Carleton. The men return to the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) on February 5 to host the Guelph Gryphons.