KINGSTON, Ont. (March 1, 2023) - Queen's Women's Basketball will play for the Critelli Cup after defeating the Waterloo Warriors 69-62 Wednesday night in front of a loud crowd at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC).

The win marks the first time the Gaels have advanced to the Critelli Cup since the 2016-17 season and also earns them a berth in the U SPORTS Women's Final 8 Basketball Championship.

"We've been here at Queen's for five years," Laura Donovan said of her time on the team with Emma Weltz. "We've never, as a pair, made it past the quarterfinals. So to win an OUA semifinal game is so exciting and feels like this is what we've been working towards for the last five years. I'm super excited for the team to be able to go to the OUA Championship and to Nationals."

Queen's got off to a fast start and controlled the game through the first half. With strong shooting and solid defence, the Gaels held a 19-10 lead after the first quarter and grew their lead to 16 points at half time, 40-24.

The Warriors mounted a second half comeback, cutting Queen's lead by two points in the third quarter before outscoring them 21-14 down the stretch, but the Gaels held off the late comeback to secure the win and the spot in the OUA Championship game.

"I thought we had a great start to the game," said Head Coach Claire Meadows. "We executed our game plan very well, both offensively and defensively. The start in the first half put us in a good position to get the win.

"I thought Waterloo did a really good job pressuring us and taking us out of rhythm. I thought at moments we got outside ourselves and that got us in trouble. But in terms of what we're going to see moving forward, that's exactly it. So this is great preparation."
 
Four players scored in double digits for Queen's in the win, with Weltz pouring in a team-high 20 points while adding five assists.

Bridget Mulholland had a strong game, recording a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Donovan finished with 14 points while Bella Belvedere added 12 points in the win.

A game after struggling to find their stroke in the OUA quarterfinals, Queen's was solid shooting the ball in the semifinals win, finishing 38 per cent from the floor and 33 per cent from beyond the arc, while holding the Warriors to 31 per cent from the floor and 24 per cent from three-point range.

Both Weltz and Donovan commented on the electric atmosphere at the ARC in the win.

"So electric," Weltz said of the home crowd that surpassed 1,000 in attendance. "I honestly think they helped us pull out that win so much. It's a huge advantage playing on your home court in front of your family and friends. That was amazing."

"I'm really impressed with the Queen's community," Donovan echoed. "Almost having a full ARC for an OUA semifinals, it was electric. The crowd was engaged the entire game, it felt amazing to have that win in front of them."

Up next for the Gaels will be a rubber match with the Carleton Ravens for the Critelli Cup. Queen's and Carleton split their regular season series, with the Gaels taking Game 1 71-65 at the ARC in November before the Ravens took Game 2 64-32 in Ottawa, Ont. in January.

Queen's will host the Carleton Saturday, March 4 at 7pm at the ARC. Tickets can be purchased in store and online at the Q Shop. Tickets at $12 online/$15 at point of sale for adults, $8 online/$10 point of sale for Youth (5-12), and $8 online/$10 point of sale for Queen's students.