KINGSTON, Ont. (January 9, 2016)- The Queen's Gaels men's basketball team started off the New Year with a 70-61 exhibition loss to the CIS No. 3 ranked McGill Redmen on Saturday afternoon at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC).
Sukhpreet Singh tallied a game-high 19 points, while
Mike Shoveller added 11 in a losing cause for the Gaels. Noah Daust recorded a team-best 14 points for the Redmen.
GAME FLOWThe teams exchanged leads throughout the opening quarter, when
Tanner Graham (Kingston) notched two three-pointers to help the Gaels keep pace with the nationally-ranked Redmen. Shoveller (Arnprior, Ont.) picked up a late bucket from distance to give the home side a 21-19 lead at the end of the first.
Daust heated up in the early minutes of the second stanza, dropping two baskets from beyond the arc to help spur the RSEQ representatives on a 7-2 run to retake the lead midway through the period.
The guest's offence continued to gain traction as halftime neared, while the Gaels' cooled down after a potent opening quarter. The hosts were held to just 10 points and four field-goals in the second, and McGill claimed 10 points off of Queen's nine turnovers in the opening two quarters to take a 41-31 lead at the half.
Daust led all scorers with 12 points in the first twenty minutes of play, while Shoveller grabbed seven points to top the Gaels offence. Queen's worked at a first-half shooting efficiency of 38.7%, compared to 38.6% from the Redmen.
Singh (Toronto) started the half with four quick points for the Gaels, following his first basket with a fast-break lay-up. The Redmen responded, however, pushing the lead up to as much as 15, helped by a three-pointer from Jenning Leung. Queen's cut the deficit down to single digits with six-straight points, the last two of which were courtesy of
Ryall Stroud (Toronto), who used some skillful footwork in the paint to earn a post bucket.
The Redmen offence continued to remain consistent throughout the period, and they re-consolidated their double-digit advantage by the end of the third, thanks in part to back-to-back three-pointers from Vincent Dufort and Tychon Carter-Newman in the final minute of play.
Singh notched the opening two buckets for the second quarter in a row. The political studies student, who is in the middle of a career season with the Gaels, then stole the ball and made both his free throws after taking a foul in transition, cutting the deficit back under 10. Singh was all over the floor in the fourth, sprinting back for a block on what looked to be an easy lay-in for Leung.
Despite Singh's best efforts, however, the Gaels were unable to gain momentum necessary to mount a significant comeback bid in the final minutes of regulation.
BY THE NUMBERS18- McGill's point total off both turnovers and second-chance opportunities
42.6%- Queen's shooting percentage
9- The number of Queen's players with 10 or more minutes played against the Redmen
UP NEXTThe Gaels return to conference action next weekend when they head to the provincial capital to take on their division rivals from Toronto and No. 5 Ryerson. Queen's returns to the ARC after their four-game road trip on Friday, February 5 when they play host to the Guelph Gryphons.
