WATERLOO, Ont. (November 18, 2017) - The Queen's Gaels (4-2) defeated the Laurier Golden Hawks (3-4) in a tightly contested matchup 77-76 on Saturday night in Waterloo. 

GAME FLOW
Mat Elock (Waterdown, Ont.) scored the first basket for Queen's after a nice assist by Tanner Graham (Kingston, Ont,). Tanner Graham also locked down the paint, recording a block early on in the game. Laurier was still impressive, sinking back-to-back 3's to secure their early lead. Tanner Graham managed to pull away from the Golden Hawks with a big three late in the first. Jesse Graham (Kingston, Ont.) also got his own block, which got the Tricolour going in transition for a layup by Quinton Gray (Richmond Hill, Ont). Jaz Bains (Brampton, Ont) sank a last-minute shot to give them the lead entering the second. Queen's lead 25-19 at the end of the 1st quarter.

Mike Shoveller (Arnprior, Ont) opened the second with a nice layup off a dish by Gray, followed soon by a jump shot by Tanner Graham. Laurier capitalized off turnovers by Queen's and closed the gap. The Golden Hawks closed the gap to five points, mid-way through the second, as the Gaels struggled to score. Sammy Ayisi (Toronto) found the basket on a layup, to help break the cold shooting streak for Queen's. Both teams found their rhythm, offensively again, keeping the game close till halftime. A second chance basket gave Laurier the lead, late in the second, but Gray sank a last-minute layup to end the half. The Gaels kept the lead entering halftime, 44-41.

The Gaels started the second half with a triple by Tanner Graham, who led the team in points. Laurier did their part on the boards, but it was not enough to close the margin. Quinton Gray sank a jump shot, midway through the third, to put the Gaels' lead to double digits. Laurier's defence were what helped them close the margin, as they capitalized on steals. Queen's still managed to hold the lead at the end of the 3rd quarter, leading 60-55.

Laurier quickly tied the game up early in the fourth, from a layup, followed by a 3-pointer in transition. The Tricolour needed a timeout to recalibrate and stop the scoring run of Laurier. Jesse Graham found Bains in the paint for a layup to put them ahead again, and Bains would return the favour by finding Jesse Graham for his own layup. Shots started to fall for both teams, and the Golden Hawks managed to tie the game once again with five minutes remaining. Laurier took the lead with a pair of free throws, but Gray would not allow any momentum, as he got a 3-pointer to go down. It was 72-72 with four minutes left as both teams looked to find any holes the others' defence. It would be Bains, who found Jesse Graham once again for a big layup to pull ahead with two minutes left.  Laurier would soon tie it up with a minute and a half remaining. Tanner Graham the stepped up as he sank a big 3-pointer to give the Gaels a much need three-point lead. Laurier did not have enough to bounce back, and the Gaels would come out victorious. 

The final score was Queen's 77 and Laurier 76.

BY THE NUMBERS
4- Players scored double-digit points on the night; T.Graham, Bains, Gray, and J. Graham
51.5%- The Gaels shot lights out, scoring 51.5% from the field.
17-11- Tanner Graham recorded a double-double on the night, with 17 points and 11 rebounds

UP NEXT
The Gaels are back at home to face off against the Windsor Lancers on Nov 24 at 8:00 pm in the ARC. Tickets are available at www.gogaelsgo.com/tickets, or the game can be seen live on OUA.tv.