Friday evening in the ARC, Queen's Women's Basketball took on the Laurentian Voyagers in their first matchup post winter break. The Gaels emerged with a 69-43 victory.
Heading into the match, the Gaels led the Voyagers in the OUA East standings. The Gales were ranked third with an 8-2 record and the Voyagers were ranked fourth with a 3-8 record.
Through the beginning of the first, Queen's and Laurentian went point for point, with both teams struggling to get their shots to sink.
"We've been on a break since November 30th so that had a bit to do with it. There are also different people coming in and out of the starting lineup, were overcoming a lot of adversity and injury, so were just getting used to new rotations," Head Coach Claire Meadows remarked.
Laurentian found their stride before the Gaels and picked up a five-point lead heading into the second quarter.
Entering the second quarter with renewed vigor, Queen's dominated, picking up 23 points to Laurentian's seven. Key plays from Mikayla McFarlane (Kinesiology) propelled the Gaels forward.
"She has a massive impact on the game. Her game has improved so much over the last few years, and I thought she did a really good job defensively guarding their post player and she was translating some defense into offense. She was aggressive and had an attack mindset and that changed the game for us," Meadows said.
McFarlane closed out the match with 12 points, five rebounds, and a field goal percentage of 75%.
The Gaels maintained their dominance through the third and fourth quarter, locking down Laurentian's scoring opportunities, and improving their offensive success, securing the win.
The Gaels rounded out the match with 18 steals. They also added 25 points off turnovers.
"This year we're taking a lot of pride in our defense, and it was a point of focus on the summer in term of where we can improve as a team," Meadows commented.
Katrina Renon (Arts & Science) led in points for the Gaels and had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Brooke Hussey (Kinesiology) added another 14 points and Vobia Kalome (Arts & Science) contributed 8.
"Everyone has had to step up in crucial moments," Meadows added. "Truly it's been a whole team that's had to step up this year."
With the win, the Gaels maintain their nine-game winning streak. Their record on the season also improves to 9-2.
The Gaels return to the ARC on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 5pm, taking on the Nipissing Lakers. Tickets are available on the Queen's ticket website and are free for students.
