OTTAWA (February 16, 2018)- The Queen's Gaels (11-11) fell short in a nail-biting thriller against the No.9 Ottawa Gee-Gees (16-6) on Friday night in Ottawa.
 
GAME FLOW
Mike Shoveller (Arnprior, Ont.) hit a jump-shot to put the Gaels on the board in the first and was followed shortly after by a three-pointer by Jaz Bains (Brampton, Ont.). The Gaels found themselves in a shootout, as the Gee-Gees took a quick lead. Late in the first, a fast break layup by the graduating Sammy Ayisi (Toronto) re-took the lead for the Gaels. The Gaels managed to outscore the Gee-Gees 30-26 in the first quarter.

The Gaels opened the second quarter scoring seven points in the first minute and a half. Jesse Graham (Kingston, Ont.) scored five of those seven points alone. It was another shootout, as the Gee-Gees opened fire from three, but the Gaels would fire right back with three-pointers of their own by Bains and Shoveller. Tanner Graham (Kingston, Ont.) could not seem to find his shot, not getting a field-goal in the quarter, but he was still productive, finding teammates with assists and playing excellent defence. The score at halftime, saw the Gaels lead, 50-47.

The Gaels began to fall off, offensively, in the third, and the Gee-Gees capitalized. They went on a 6-2 run to open the quarter. Tanner Graham put an end to it, by finally getting his 3-ball to fall. The Gaels were able to, once again, out-score the Gee-Gees in this quarter. The scoring went 12-deep, as bench players, like Quinton Gray (Richmond Hill, Ont), Ayisi, and Jesse Graham consistently got their shots to fall.

Bains opened the fourth with a short jumper, to give the Gaels a comfortable nine-point lead. The Gaels played great defence, and controlled the boards, early in the fourth, as they looked to seal, what was an apparent upset. The Gee-Gees turned up their offence, going on an 11-4 run, midway through the fourth. The Gaels quickly got back into rhythm, and the game was neck-to-neck, at the two-minute mark. A triple by Bains put the Gaels ahead, but the Gee-Gees quickly regained their lead. The Gaels could not complete the upset, as they would lose this outing, 89-86.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
50.8%- The Gaels shot lights-out, going 50.8% from the field
40- The Gaels' bench was on fire, combining for 40 points
6- 6 players tonight, finished with 10+ points
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels are on the road against the No 1 Carleton Ravens tomorrow night at 8 pm. Catch all the action on OUA.tv.