KINGSTON, Ont. - The No.5 Queen's Gaels open their OUA playoff chase for the Critelli Cup as the first overall seed in the OUA and will take on the ninth seed Lakehead Thunderwolves.The single-game elimination goes Saturday night at the Queen's Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) in Kingston and can be seen live on OUA.tv.
OUA QF: Saturday, February 25, 6 p.m. Lakehead at Queen's,
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Tickets
OUA FINAL FOUR: Friday/Saturday, March 3/4, 6/8 p.m. Hosted by highest remaining seed,
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REGULAR SEASON RECAP
Nov. 25: Queen's 68, Lakehead 61
Queen's won the only matchup of the season between the two teams which came back on November 25 in Thunder Bay. In the game, Queen's led after being down 2-0 for the rest of the contest and
Marianne Alarie (Sudbury, Ont.) posted a 22 point performance while
Andrea Priamo finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. The Gaels were also without their leading rebounder
Robyn Pearson (Toronto) who did not play that weekend. The Thunderwolves had 12 points from August Ricketts and a nine point, eight rebound effort from Rachel Webber.
Queen's held Lakehead to just 33.8% shooting from the floor and the Thunderwolves made just two of 21 three-pointers.
The Gaels and Thunderwolves last met in the playoffs during the 1997-98 season in a quarter-final game where the Gaels won 69-57.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Queen's -
Robyn Pearson: Missing out on the Gaels win over Lakehead in the regular season, Lakehead out-rebounded the Gaels and Pearson should be able to help tilt the scales and give Queen's the upper hand.
Lakehead - Bridget O'Reilly: O'Reilly finished with 10 points and five rebounds in the Lakehead win at Brock Wednesday. She shot 0-7 from the three-point line and if she is able to get hot from beyond the arc can create problems for Queen's.
KEY TO THE GAME: REST VS RESULTS
For Lakehead, the Thunderwolves are fresh off a win Wednesday night at Brock upsetting the eighth-seeded Badgers in St. Catharines. A quick turnaround will see them travel from the Niagara region to Kingston for the game Saturday after committing to their trip from Thunder Bay to St. Catharines for Wednesday. The Thunderwolves will surely have momentum fresh off a Wednesday upset win and look to keep it moving.
The Gaels will have not played in eight days but get a chance to secure home court for the Final Four with a win on Sunday. The extra time off compared to Lakehead allows Queen's the chance to heal and get some extra rest in time for what they hope is a lengthy playoff run. Getting out to a quick start against the hungry Thunderwolves who are fresh off an exciting win will be important for the Gaels Saturday.
