KINGSTON, Ont. (February 9, 2018)- The Queen's Gaels (11-9) fell victim to a huge comeback by the Toronto Varsity Blues (10-10) 90-80 on Saturday night.

At halftime of the game, Queen's Athletics honoured their fall championship teams as the teams saw their banners raised to the rafters in the ARC gym. Sailing, women's cross country and men's rugby all had their banners raised to honour their championship seasons.
 
GAME FLOW
It was a slow start from both teams, as the first three minutes only saw two points scored. Jaz Bains (Brampton, Ont.) found a cutting Tanner Graham (Kingston, Ont.) for a reverse layup to give the Gaels their first points of the game. Jesse Graham had the hot hand in the first, totaling seven points including a triple. Bains closed the first quarter, with a shot clock beating three with the assist by Quinton Gray (Richmond Hill, Ont.) as the Gaels held the early advantage.

Bains put his defender through the spin cycle, scoring off an impressive spin move after he made his way to the hoop. Vincent Wood (Toronto) got a huge block, which turned into a Bains three-pointer, forcing the Blues to take a timeout. The second quarter was run by Tanner Graham. He was tenacious on the boards and played aggressive offence. He had five points and three boards in the second, with eight rebounds, total in the first half. The Gaels finished the first half with a decisive lead, 43-31.

The Gaels continued to share the ball, into the third quarter. Harry Range (Carp, Ont.) knocked down a pair of layups to start the quarter. Jesse Graham completed a cross-court pass, to find Sammy Ayisi (Toronto) open in the corner for a triple. Jesse Graham also became a recipient of a pass from Gray for the easy layup. The Varsity Blues began to close in on the deficit, by outplaying the Gaels on the boards. Toronto finished with a slight scoring edge, but it would not be enough to halt the momentum of the Gaels.

Tanner Graham opened the final quarter with a big block. The Gaels lost some of their scoring efficiency in the last quarter and looked to recapture it in the final quarter. Gray knocked down an excellent three-pointer, from a dish by Range. Tanner Graham got another huge stuff, erupting the crowd, and forcing a Toronto timeout. The Blues kept pushing and eventually pulled ahead off of a pull-up triple, forcing a Queen's timeout. With another three-pointer made by the Blues, the Gaels found themselves in a 10-point deficit. Tanner Graham was the catalyst for the Gaels, knocking down a three for himself. The Gaels would not be able to bounce back from their deficit, and fell to Toronto 90-80.

BY THE NUMBERS
51%- Efficient scoring night for the Gaels, as they went 51% from the field
17- Jaz Bains led the team in scoring with 17 points.
13- Tanner Graham led the team in rebounding, with 13
20- Excellent passing from the Gaels, they combined for 20 assists

FINAL SAY
"I think it was rebounding, maybe momentum, they made some big shots. They're a great three-point shooting team, and sometimes it was about makes and misses." - Assistant Coach Jermaine Small

UP NEXT
The Gaels are back home, taking on the Ryerson Rams. Tip-off is at 8 pm. Catch all the action live on OUA.tv.