NORTH BAY, Ont. (January 5, 2018) - The Queen's Gaels (8-3) picked up their third consecutive victory with a 74-61 win over the Nipissing Lakers (5-5) on Friday night.

GAME FLOW

The Gaels got rolling offensively early, going on a 7-3 run. Everyone got involved, and the ball was being shared. Tanner Graham (Kingston, Ont.) had the keen eye, finding his teammates twice for baskets. Graham also recorded seven points in the first quarter. Nipissing was also playing excellent team basketball, as they were able to find their teammates for open shots. The Gaels ended the first quarter with the lead, 24-17.

Queen's struggled to score early in the second, and Nipissing appeared to be closing the gap. Jaz Bains (Brampton, Ont) kept their heads above water, by scoring on key possessions, and holding their lead. Nipissing out-scored the Gaels in this quarter, but it would not be enough. The Gaels finished the first half, leading 34-29. 

Bains opened the 3rd quarter hot. He knocked down two 3-pointers, and added a layup on top of that. The Gaels went on a 10-2 run in the first minute and a half of this quarter, led by Bains. Queen's also played some strong defence, not allowing the Lakers string together points. The Gaels kept the lead, entering the 4th quarter, 54-43. 

The Lakers opened the final quarter with a big layup and a 3-pointer, to cut away at the deficit. Mat Elcock (Waterdown, Ont) would knock down the key 3-pointer, to hold the lead at double-digits. Tanner Graham got himself a big dunk, from the dime by Jaz Bains off a rebound. The Gaels did not slow down in the fourth and knew that no lead was safe. They controlled the board well, once again, and didn't allow the Lakers to get going offensively. 

The final score on the night, Queen's 74, Nipissing 61.

BY THE NUMBERS 
29- Jaz Bains led the team in scoring with 29 points
14- Tanner Graham had a huge rebounding night, racking up 14 boards
+10- The Gaels were impressive on the boards, and out-rebounded the Lakers by 10.

UP NEXT
The Gaels are on the road against the No.7 Laurentian Voyageurs on Jan 6th at 8 pm. Watch the action live on OUA.tv