OTTAWA (February 17, 2018) – The Queen's Gaels (11-12) closed out the regular season with a tough road game loss to the No. 1 Carleton Ravens (23-0) with a score of 97-52.
The Gaels finished sixth in the OUA East and will visit the Ryerson Rams on Wednesday night to open the OUA playoffs.
GAME FLOW
In the first quarter, the Gaels battled back and forth with the Ravens for possession of the lead. Mat Elcock (Waterdown, Ont.), Mike Shoveller (Arnprior, Ont.), Harry Range (Carp, Ont.) and Jessie Graham (Kingston, Ont.) scored several points contributing to the Tricolour offence early in the game, but the Ravens began capitalizing on scoring opportunities to surpass Queen's. Carleton found holes in the Gaels defence and extended their lead to end the first quarter with a score of 23-15.
In the second quarter, the Gaels struggled to find scoring opportunities throughout the frame. Points from Shoveller, Elcock and Sammy Ayisi (Toronto) added to the Queen's score, but the Tricolour were unable to defend against the Raven's 23-point quarter. The first half of the game ended with a score of 45-26 for Carleton.
To start the second half, the Gaels were unable to finish on their scoring opportunities and allowed the Ravens to lengthen their lead. Shoveller and Tanner Graham (Kingston, Ont.) played a strong third quarter contributing 10 of the 16 points scored by the Tricolour this frame. Carleton continued playing to their offensive strengths and managed to take 31 points from the Gaels in the third quarter.
During the final 10 minutes of the game, the Tricolour improved their defence, only allowing Carleton to score 21 points during the frame. The Gaels scrambled for points, with Range, Ayisi, Henry van Herk (Toronto) and Connor Keefe (Halifax) contributing 10 points to the Gaels score. The Tricolour ultimately lost the game to Carleton with a score of 97-52. With the win, the No.1 Ravens finish the season with a perfect 23-0 record.
BY THE NUMBERS
5 – Defensive rebounds made by Tanner Graham
15 – Turnovers made by the Gaels against the Ravens
6 - Gaels finish sixth in the OUA East
23 - Wins for Carleton as they go undefeated for the season
UP NEXT
The Gaels are back in action on Wednesday, February 21st against Ryerson to open the OUA playoffs.
