KINGSTON, Ont. (January 12, 2019) – The Queen's Gaels (8-6) fell to the Toronto Varsity Blues (6-8) 71-68 on Saturday night at the ARC Main Gym. 
 
GAME FLOW
The Gaels struggled with consistency in the opening quarter, often settling for tough shots while the Blues finished around the basket at a highly efficient rate. While the Gaels improved as the quarter went on, they were forced to settle for a five-point deficit at the end of the first, trailing 20-15. 
 
The Gaels battled well in the second, but a mid-quarter Blues run saw the visitors quickly increase their lead from five to ten. The Gaels would go to the half trailing 41-28 and shooting only 36% from the field while the Blues shot 44% from the field and 58% from three. The Blues leading scorer in the first half was Daniel Johansson with 11 points, while the Gaels were led by Tanner Graham with nine points and seven rebounds.
 
The third quarter was a productive one for the Gaels, as they cut the Blues lead down to as little as five points at 48-43. While the Blues would respond, going on a late-quarter run which re-extended the visitors lead to eight points at 54-46, the Gaels gave themselves a chance to get right back in the game headed to the final quarter. 
 
Despite an early quarter surge by the Varsity Blues, The Gaels were able to close the deficit within five points with under three minutes to play thanks to some clutch shooting from Jaz Bains and Quinton Gray. The Gaels went on to cut the lead to four when Tanner Graham hit a crucial three point shot with just 38 seconds left to play, but unfortunately the Gaels would get no closer, as Jaz Bains subsequent three-point attempt rattled in and out, effectively ending the any hope of a fourth quarter comeback. The game would end 71-67 for the visiting Varsity Blues, giving them a key win as they look to get back on track in the OUA east playoff race.
 
Quinton Gray led all scorers for the Gaels with 22 points, while Toronto's Daniel Johansson had 17 points and 12 rebounds. The Gaels were tight with the Blues in nearly every statistical category except for free throws, where the Blues shot 93% while the Gaels only managed 58% which very well could have been the difference.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
8 – Each team made eight 3-point shots, although the Gaels had ten more attempts than the blues.
0 – There were no lead changes in the game.
 
UP NEXT
Next week, the Gaels travel to Ottawa, facing Carleton on Friday night (Jan 18^th) and the University of Ottawa on Saturday (Jan 19^th). Both games are at 8 pm and can be seen live on OUA.tv.