KINGSTON, Ont. (December 3, 2016)- Sukhpreet Singh moved into third place on the Queen's men's basketball all-time scoring list, and the Queen's Gaels earned their fifth-straight victory on Saturday evening, defeating the Algoma Thunderbirds 85-77 at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC).
 
Singh (Toronto) passed Mike Scotten on his first basket of the game at the 6:38 mark of the first quarter, and finished with a game-high 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
 
Tanner Graham added a double-double with 16 points and a game-best 12 rebounds for Queen's, who led the contest from start to finish but saw a lead as high as 26 points drop to five in the dying moments of the fourth quarter after a concerted Algoma comeback bid came up short. Cailum White led the Thunderbirds with 15 points in a losing cause.
 

MUST SEE - @sukhpreetsinghv breaks the defenders ankles then breaks into the Gaels record book at No.3 all-time in points! #GoGaelsGo pic.twitter.com/8UhQNGoONA

— #ChaGheill (@queensgaels) December 4, 2016

 
GAME FLOW
The Gaels jumped all over Algoma in the early going, latching onto a 9-0 lead just over a minute and a half into the contest, which prompted a quick timeout from the Thunderbirds.
 
Graham (Kingston) hit a three coming out of the break as well as a jump-shot moments later to give the hosts a commanding 18-3 lead. The Thunderbirds answered with a pair of three-point baskets on consecutive possessions, but the Gaels offence remained potent throughout the period, as the men shot 57.9% in the opening quarter to take a 27-18 lead after 10 minutes of play.
 
Isaiah Wilson (Scarborough, Ont.) tallied a corner three to restore the Gaels double-digit advantage early in the second, and another deep basket from Sammy Ayisi (Toronto) pushed the lead back up to 15 mid-way through the period.
 
The hosts continued to build their spread throughout the half by shoring up their defensive play and holding the Thunderbirds to just eight points in the second quarter. Ayisi led all players with eight first-half points, and the Gaels finished the half shooting above 60% from the floor. Queen's led Algoma 49-26 at the break.
 
The Thunderbirds came out with more vigour in the third quarter, taking advantage of a time when both Singh and Graham were resting to cut the lead down to under 20. A three-pointer by White at the 2:22 mark cut the deficit to 15, and led to a timeout from Coach Steph Barrie to refocus his squad.
 
Following the break, a three-point shot and ensuing jumper from Graham attempted to stem the Algoma momentum, and the Gaels carried a 64-48 lead into the final period.
 
The Thunderbirds continued to persevere early in the fourth, starting the period on a 6-1 run to cut the lead down to 11. The Gaels responded by attacking the Thunderbirds in the low post, using their height and speed to tally eight of the next nine points, all of which were scored in the paint.
 
Following an Algoma timeout, two jump-shots from Jacob Clendinning sandwiched another Cailum three, and the Thunderbirds managed to finally bring the deficit down to single digits for the first time since the first quarter with just over a minute remaining. Algoma cut the lead down to five with 29.4 seconds remaining after another basket from beyond the arc by White.
 
The hosts, however, were able to clinch the victory with some timely converted free throws from Graham and Singh.
 
The Gaels improve to 5-1 and sit in second-place in the OUA East division heading into the holiday break behind the Ryerson Rams (7-0).
 
BY THE NUMBERS
1162- The total number of points tallied by Sukhpreet Singh
175- The number of points Singh is from becoming the top all-time scoring leader for Queen's
52.5%- Queen's field goal percentage, their best of the season
 
FINAL SAY
"I am disappointed with how we handled being in the lead tonight," said Head Coach Stephan Barrie. "It's an area that we are going to have to get better at and to me it is 90% mental. Games like this are the training stage for when we play the top teams in the country, so we have to play with the mindset to prepare ourselves for those types of games, so that when we get to those games we won't be in awe of the moment. It takes mental discipline and that is what good teams do."
 
UP NEXT
The men head to Halifax, N.S. from December 29 to 31 for the Shoveller Memorial Tournament, which is hosted by Dalhousie.
 
Queen's returns to conference action on January 6 and 7, when they hit the road to take on the Western Mustangs and Windsor Lancers respectively.
 
The Gaels resume their home schedule the following weekend, hosting Ryerson and Toronto at the ARC.