KINGSTON, Ont. (Mar. 4, 2023) - Queen's Women's Basketball lost 70-57 to the Carleton Ravens in the OUA Critelli Cup Championship Game, Saturday at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC). 

"It was a tough game, but a great environment," said Queen's guard Laura Donovan after the game. "We play not just for ourselves, but for the Kingston community. We play for the future generations of basketball." 

The intensity in the opening few seconds would set the stage for the rest of the game. Both teams played aggressively, fighting for possession at every opportunity. Bella Belvedere kick-started the game by hitting two free throws to put Queen's in the lead. Next up was Belvedere's fast break, and Julia Chadwick followed that with a basket on the take, making the score 6-0. The energy in the crowd was electric, with over 2,000 in attendance. 

Speaking to the home crowd, head coach Claire Meadows said, "The energy in the gym was phenomenal. This is bigger than basketball. We're having a big impact on the community and it was felt tonight in the gym."

The game started to become tense as the Ravens managed to bring things within two, holding Queen's to a slim lead. While the Gaels were executing some great plays, Carleton managed to tie the score 8-8 before Bridget Mulholland pulled ahead with a basket to get the team back in the lead. The Ravens kept the score close, but Hailey Barbieri's three-pointer in the last minute allowed the Gaels to head into the second quarter with a score of 13-10. 

When asked about the team chemistry, Bridget Mulholland said, "I don't think you find a closer team in all of U SPORTS. These are my coaches, these are my teammates but they are relationships I will have for life, and that is a big reason why we're here today." 

In the second quarter, a deep three from Donovan, followed by a basket from Julia Chadwick, put Queen's in a solid eight-point lead. Carleton applied pressure, nearly reaching Queen's at 24 points, but another three from Donovan allowed the team to stay ahead. Unfortunately, in the last minute, Carleton pulled ahead to carry a one-point lead into half-time.
 

Donovan led the Gaels offensively with 15 points. Chadwick was not too far behind with 14 points, and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Mulholland finished with eight rebounds. The Gaels recorded three fast break points, while Carleton finished with 0, and 14 points off turnovers, compared to eight for the Ravens. 

Carleton came out even stronger in the third quarter building their lead to eight points. Pressure was high in the fourth quarter. Carleton kept their lead, but with the crowd behind them, Queen's kept up the intensity. Unfortunately Carleton stayed in a comfortable 10-point lead for the majority of the quarter. At the 1:12 mark, Queen's called a timeout in an attempt to turn things around, but couldn't close the gap.

The game ended with a score of 70-57 for the Ravens, with the focus now shifting to the U SPORTS Final 8 Women's Basketball Championship. 

Meadows stated that, "moving forward is using this game to fuel us. Our goal was not accomplished tonight but the season's not over so it's about regrouping and fueling for what's ahead. We are going to Cape Breton and we have some big goals there."

"We tried to shift the focus right after our post-game talk," echoed Donovan. She explained that although it was disappointing to lose the game tonight, the team has a quick turn around to get ready for Nationals. "We wanted to win the OUA gold medal, but we have some bigger things in front of us to look forward to."

The Gaels will be in Cape Breton from March 9-12 for the U SPORTS Final 8 Women's Basketball Championship. The schedule will be released early next week.