(24/01/25) - Kingston, ON., The Queen's Gaels Men's Basketball Team enjoy a 13th straight victory after tight match against the 9-5 Toronto Metropolitan University Bold. The Gaels leave the court scoring 77 points to TMU's 75, grasping the win after a jumper by no. 8 Ollie Engen (Kinesiology) in the final two second of the game. The match between the Bold and the Gaels saw the lead switch back and forth relentlessly with neither team breaking away offensively to a score the other could not counter. No. 6 Kai Dalen (Arts) had himself an excellent game as the top point earner scoring 20 points, followed by Engen with 13 and no. 3 Luka Syllas (Con-Ed) with 11. 

The game began with the Bold scoring two minutes off the bench which was quickly followed by a layup by Syllas. The first quarter saw the opponents match each other offensively until the Bold found a burst of momentum and froze the Gaels until Engen scored two free-throws with just over four minutes left in the first. Dalen brought energy back to the Gaels team, which had been unable to sink many basket attempts, with two jumpers and two free throws. Dalen finished the first with 6 points as the Gaels trailed 18-12. 

Dalen continued this offensive dominance to the second where he and Engen scored two layups which rallied the Gaels to come back against the Bold's lead down only four points 22-18.  The second quarter was a physical battle between both teams attempting to get points on the board. Another layup by Dalen brought the Gaels to tie the game 25-25 with less than four minutes left. In the final 75 seconds of the first half, the Gaels led by four points 29-25 thanks to a layup by no. 15 Isaac Krueger (Arts) and two good shots from the foul line by no. 10 Lucas Ponting (Commerce). Although the Gaels found an offensive stride in the second, the quarter closed with the Bold finding the lead once again 30-29. At this point in the game, Dalen had scored half of the Gaels points with 14. 

Engen scored off the bench to give the Gaels back their lead. No. 13 Scott Jenkins () scored the Gaels' first three of the evening bringing the lead to 44-38. The Gaels came back from being in a vulnerable position that could have gotten worse had they not found their momentum in the third. Although their lead was not sealed yet as the Bold came taking a lead of 46-38. Another shot from the arch scored by no. 23 Jalen Sikkema (Media) brought his team back within the same point range. A dunk over a Bold player by Krueger ties the game 48-48, forcing a TMU timeout. The buzzer sounded ending the third at 55-52 Bold lead. Syllas capitalized 7 points and Engen 6.

A layup and free throw by Dalen followed by a three by Sikkema bring the Gaels back up 62-58. With both teams playing good ball and neither able to offensively break away far enough to sit comfortably in the fourth, a packed Queen's Athletics and Recreation Center saw fans on the edge of their seats throughout the final 10 minutes. With less than three minutes left, free throws by Krueger and Engen bring the Gaels lead to 73-70 which is quickly re-tied after a Bold three-pointer. Two more from the foul line from Krueger gives him nine points on the evening. The Gaels took a final timeout which allowed Engen to score a jumper with two seconds on the clock, allowing the Gaels to continue their impressive win-streak.

Catch the Queen's Men's Basketball team in action next on Saturday, January 25th at 6:00 PM on their home court of the Queen's ARC as they take on the 12-3 Brock Badgers. Go Gaels Go!