Queen's Men's Basketball advanced to the OUA semifinals with a thrilling 86-83 victory over the Carleton Ravens in the quarterfinals of the Wilson Cup playoffs at the ARC. The Gaels overcame an early deficit, seizing momentum with a dominant third quarter and holding off a late Carleton surge to secure the win.

The matchup was a rematch of their regular-season meeting just eight days prior, when Queen's claimed an 89-84 victory over Carleton. Historically, Queen's entered the game with a 4-28 all-time record against the Ravens, but recent success fueled confidence heading into the high-stakes playoff clash.

Carleton opened the scoring with a floater in the lane, quickly adding another basket in transition as Queen's struggled to settle offensively. The Gaels missed their first four field goal attempts before Luka Syllas (Concurrent Education) powered to the hoop for an and-one play, converting at the free-throw line to put Queen's on the board. Lucas Ponting (Commerce) ignited the home crowd with a three-pointer from the corner, bringing the Gaels within five midway through the frame.

Carleton, however, maintained its rhythm, knocking down a deep three late in the shot clock to extend the lead. The Gaels tightened up defensively, forcing multiple turnovers, but the Ravens closed the quarter strong, hitting a buzzer-beating three to take a 26-16 advantage into the second.

The Ravens struck first again in the second quarter with a three-pointer, but Queen's responded with a renewed defensive effort. AJ Cummings (Arts & Science) grabbed a steal and earned a trip to the free-throw line, converting one of two attempts. Ollie Engen (Kinesiology) settled into his midrange game, sinking back-to-back fadeaways to cut into the deficit.

Queen's ramped up the defensive intensity with a full-court press, forcing Carleton into a shot-clock violation. Jalen Sikkema (Arts & Science) provided a spark, draining a three-pointer off a timeout to bring the Gaels within eight. The defensive pressure continued to pay dividends as Queen's forced multiple turnovers and capitalized in transition. Tyson Lama (Commerce) came off the bench and knocked down a three, pulling Queen's within four. By halftime, Carleton held a 44-37 lead.

The Gaels stormed out of the break with renewed energy, quickly erasing the deficit. Cummings and Lama both secured offensive rebounds and converted second-chance points, while Engen knocked down a midrange jumper off an inbound play. With Carleton struggling to find a response, Queen's forced another shot-clock violation before Syllas hit a pull-up three to give the Gaels their first lead of the game.

Momentum firmly shifted in Queen's favor, with the Gaels pushing the lead to nine after back-to-back three-pointers from Syllas. The veteran guard was in takeover mode, leading all scorers with 21 points heading into the final frame. Queen's held a 66-60 advantage after three quarters.

Sikkema found Aaron Tennant (Arts & Science) for a powerful slam to open the fourth quarter, but Carleton continued to battle, trimming the deficit to two with five minutes remaining. Malcolm Bailey (Arts & Science) provided a crucial and-one finish in the paint, extending Queen's lead back to five.

With under a minute remaining and Queen's clinging to a three-point lead, Carleton went to the line and converted both free throws, cutting the gap to one. The Ravens fouled Engen with 10 seconds left, sending the first-year standout to the line with a chance to seal the win. Engen calmly knocked down both shots, putting Queen's ahead 86-83. Carleton had one final possession, but a contested three-pointer missed at the buzzer, sending the Gaels to the semifinals.

Throughout the season, Queen's has leaned on a strong second-half performance, often flipping the script after halftime. Defensive pressure and three-point shooting have been crucial factors in the Gaels' success, with players like Syllas and Engen stepping up in critical moments.

Queen's finished the game shooting 44.4% from the field and 30.4% from beyond the arc, while Carleton shot 45.9% and 33.3%, respectively. The Gaels held the edge at the free-throw line, going 15-for-19 (78.9%), compared to Carleton's 6-for-8 (75.0%). Queen's forced 17 turnovers and capitalized with 26 points off those giveaways.

Syllas led Queen's with a game-high 27 points, while Engen contributed 20 points, four assists, and a steal. Sikkema added 10 points off the bench, and Cummings chipped in with nine points and key defensive stops.

With the win, Queen's advances to the OUA semifinals on March 1st, where the Gaels will face the winner of the Lakehead vs. Brock/Ontario Tech matchup. If Brock or Ontario Tech emerges victorious, Queen's will host the semifinal at the ARC. If Lakehead wins, the Gaels will travel for the matchup.

Tipoff details will be announced in the coming days. Catch all the action on OUA.tv.