WATERLOO, Ont. (November 18, 2017) - The No.10 Queen's Gaels (5-1) dropped their first game of the season, on the road against the Laurier Golden Hawks (4-3) 72-70 on Saturday night.

GAME FLOW
The Golden Hawks opened their game with a quick basket in transition off a steal, but Abby Dixon (North Vancouver, B.C.) soon followed with her own steal and layup. The Gaels continued their shooting woes from the previous night, as they struggled to make shots. Luckily Queen's managed to keep Laurier from capitalizing, keeping the game close for most of the first quarter. A late quarter 3-pointer by the Golden Hawks tied the game up, but Sophie de Goede (Victoria, B.C.) got a nice layup in transition off her own defensive rebound, to bring the Gaels back up. Andrea Priamo (Guelph, Ont.) played strong defensively in the first, getting a block on a layup. Laurier began to pick up steam towards the end of the quarter, amassing a 7-2 run in the final three minutes. The Gaels trailed the Golden Hawks at the end of the first, 16-12.

Laurier continued to pull away from the Gaels, as Queen's could not get their shots going in the 2nd quarter. Emma Ritcey (Orillia, Ont.) got a big three to begin to close the gap. Myriam Fontaine (Cornwall, Ont.) got herself on the board with a big layup off a pass from de Goede. The Gaels would finally tie the game up, from a steal and a layup by Abby Dixon, late in the quarter. Fontaine knocked down a big 3-pointer, and Priamo added another layup to her total after a steal by Ritcey. The Gaels still fell behind the Golden Hawks at the half, trailing 30-29.

Laurier knocked down a pair of 3-pointers early in the third, but the Gaels kept it close. Dixon again showed off her fast hands, recording another steal, and knocked down the layup. The Gaels were all over the boards, racking up all kinds of rebounds, but it was Laurier's ability to sink the three that kept them ahead. The Gaels could not hold on to the ball, committing four turnovers late in the third. This would allow the Golden Hawks to pull farther ahead. A buzzer beater by Laurier put their lead to eight entering the final quarter.

Both teams showed impressive effort, as they pushed the ball in transition. Veronika Lavergne (Kingston, Ont) recorded a block off a layup, and the Gaels pushed the ball down the court and added another basket to close the gap to four. The Gaels were all over the boards, showing tremendous effort, but Laurier continued to make their shots. With four minutes left in the game, Ritcey sank a jumper to put the Gaels within two points of the Golden Hawks, but Nicole Morrison of Laurier sank a big-time three to keep the Gaels behind. Lavergne made it a 1-possession game again, off a 3-point play from her own rebound. With a minute left, the Gaels could not pull ahead, missing a three, and falling short on the second chance basket after. The Gaels managed one more steal, but once again could not capitalize. 

The final score ended 72-70 for Laurier.

BY THE NUMBERS
16- Veronika Lavergne lead the Gaels in scoring with 16 points
15/10 - Abby Dixon had a double-double on the night with 15 points and 10 rebounds
5- Abby Dixon played impressive defence, recording five steals
37 - Points for Nicole Morrison from Laurier

UP NEXT
The Gaels are back at home against the Windsor Lancers on Nov 24th at 6:00 pm in the ARC. Tickets are available at www.gogaelsgo.com/tickets, or you can watch the game live on OUA.tv.