TORONTO (January 20, 2018) - The Queen's Gaels (9-7) dropped a game on the road, against a tough University of Toronto Varsity Blues (9-7) team on Saturday night after leading for the better part of the game.
GAME FLOW
Mike Shoveller (Arnprior, Ont.) got the Gaels their first points with a nice jumper, set up off a dish by
Tanner Graham (Kingston, Ont.). This was shortly followed by a triple from
Jaz Bains (Brampton, Ont.) as the Tricolour were dominant in the first quarter, out-rebounding and out-scoring Toronto. The Blues could not get their shots to fall, giving Queen's the opportunity for the early lead. Shoveller finished the quarter by knocking down a three-pointer and giving the Gaels the lead 16-13 at the end of the frame.
Shoveller opened the second quarter with a jumper, set up once again by
Tanner Graham. U of T soon found their rhythm on offence and tied the game up early in the second quarter.
Tanner Graham re-took the lead by knocking a key three-pointer and giving Queen's the much-needed momentum. The Varsity Blues could not get going offensively, which allowed the Gaels to add on to their lead.
Tanner Graham knocked down a pair of triples for himself, while Bains got one to fall for his stat sheet. The Gaels went into halftime with the lead, 32-27.
Mat Elcock (Waterdown, Ont.) knocked down four straight three-pointers to open the second half, giving the Gaels a hefty lead to work with. The Blues saw their deficit and began to play a little harder. They were able to outrebound the Gaels, to get second-chance opportunities, and they played excellent defence to keep the Gaels from getting too far ahead. Bains sunk a key jumper, to cut off the Blues' run, followed soon by another jumper by Shoveller. The Blues ended the quarter by knocking down a pair of three-pointers, but the Gaels would still carry the lead at the end of the third quarter, 53-51.
The Blues got on a 7-2 run to open the fourth quarter. This quick run gave Toronto the lead, and the momentum they needed to win. The Gaels could not find any good scoring opportunities, while the Blues continued to find open jumpers. This late quarter run would be too much for the Gaels to overcome, and the Varsity Blues would walk away with the win 74-64.
BY THE NUMBERS
5/9- Mat Elcock shot an impressive 5/9 from beyond the arc
17- Bains and Elcock tied for the leading pointer getter, with 17 each
26- The Gaels played aggressively, and scored 26 points in the paint tonight
UP NEXT
The Gaels are back at home on January 26 at 8 pm, taking on the Laurentian Voyageurs. Catch the action live online at OUA.tv or head to the ARC to see the team in action. Friday is Bell Let's Talk night in support of awareness for mental health.
