SUDBURY, Ont. (January 4th, 2019) – The Queen's Gaels (7-4) defeated the Laurentian Voyageurs (5-6) 87-80 on Friday night in the Gaels first OUA matchup of 2019.
 
GAME FLOW
Kadre Gray, the reigning USPORTS male athlete of the year, showed his star quality in the first quarter, as the Voyageurs jumped out to a 20-15 lead on the strength of Gray's 12 first-quarter points. However, the Gaels would have a standout performance of their own in the quarter, as Tanner Graham put up eight points and went 2-2 from three. 
 
In a tightly contested second quarter, the Gaels were able to narrow the Laurentian lead to as little as one, with the Voyageurs' Lithia Ncanisa scoring a contested layup as time expired to end the half, extending the lead back to three at 38-35.
 
The Gaels were led in the first half by Tanner Graham with 12 points, while Kadre Gray had 17 points for the home team. Both teams shot over 48% from the field in the first half, with Laurentian outscoring the Gaels 18-12 in the paint. 
 
The Gaels started strong in the second half, jumping out on a 10-2 run to start the third, but the Voyageurs would respond swiftly, tying the game back up at 45-45 and eventually grinding out a one-point lead heading to the final quarter at 60-59.
 
In the final quarter, Quinton Gray got the Gaels off to a red-hot start with two quick three pointers and the Tricolour would take their largest lead of the night to that point (eight points) at 75-67 with 5:24 remaining in the game. Only moments later, Tanner Graham would sink a dagger 3-point shot which would extend the Queen's lead to eleven and put the game out of reach. Although the Voyageurs would claw away at the Gaels lead in the late stages, the advantage simply proved too much for the home team as the Gaels went on to secure an 87-80 victory in Sudbury.
 
Leading the way for the Gaels on the night was Tanner Graham with 22 points and Jesse Graham with seven rebounds. Kadre Gray led the Voyageurs with 26 points and nine assists but was shut down by the Gaels in the late stages, going 0-4 with only two points in the 4th quarter.  
 
BY THE NUMBERS
8- There were eight lead changes.
50%- The Gaels shot lights out from three-point land, with an even fifty per cent on the night.
5- Tanner Graham made five three pointers. 
 
UP NEXT
Next up, the Gaels take on the Nipissing Lakers in North Bay Saturday January 5th at 8 pm. Catch the action live on OUA.tv.