Gaels come back

Women’s basketball climbs out of 17-point hole to beat Ravens

Gaels’ point guard Teddi Firmi defends against Carleton forward Alexandria McDonald Friday.
Gaels’ point guard Teddi Firmi defends against Carleton forward Alexandria McDonald Friday.

The women’s basketball team had an exceptional weekend, winning both of their matches to improve their record to 7-10.

The Gaels took on the 3-12 Carleton Ravens Friday, emerging with a 69-64 victory after a phenomenal fourth quarter in which they outscored the Ravens 24-7.

On Saturday they faced the Royal Military College Paladins, beating their cross-town rivals 93-45 in a dominant performance.

Friday’s game started off poorly for Queen’s as Carleton scored seven unanswered points, followed by an additional 8-0 run.

The end of the first quarter saw the Gaels trailing 22-11. Point guard Teddi Firmi said the team wasn’t demoralized by the score, though.

“We knew as a team that we could beat this team, so it was just a matter of going out there and still battling for the win,” she said

The Gaels’ stalwart determination proved effective, and they scored 20 points in the second quarter to close the gap to 39-31 at halftime. Firmi, who scored 12 points and added six rebounds for the Gaels, said the team’s improved play could be chalked up to their increased confidence.

“When it’s high, our shots find the net,” she said.

In the third quarter Queen’s faced intense pressure from the Ravens, who managed to widen the gap to 51-34 midway through the quarter and led 57-45 by the end.

“We made some adjustments at half time,” said team captain Sarah Barnes. “It took some time to get used to them, but once we did, our defence really shut them down.” The fourth quarter started with the Gaels scoring eight unanswered points. They then went on another run of six straight baskets. Halfway through the fourth, Carleton’s leading scorer Kelly Lyons was ejected for her fifth personal foul, which Barnes said was part of the Gaels’ offensive strategy.

“We knew coming in that [Carleton] tend to foul a lot, so we were going hard at the rim trying to draw foul shots and it worked,” Barnes said.

Queen’s offence continued to dominate, taking a 64-63 lead with 1:15 left in the game. Guard Brittany Moore sank a three-pointer to bolster the team’s momentum. Carleton was unable to respond and the game ended as a 69-64 Gaels’ win.

Head coach Dave Wilson said he was impressed with the women’s efforts.

“We put Brittany [on the three point line] for a very specific reason, and that’s for her to knock down that shot,” Wilson said. “To have our young players making those kinds of shots bodes really well for our future.”

Queen’s faced RMC Saturday and earned a crushing 93-45 victory. Six of the 10 people played got double figure scoring totals, including three rookies. The back-to-back victories bode well for the Gaels’ coming playoff season, Wilson said.

“This win was very important,” he said. “Overall, it gave us a little more confidence. … Hopefully that carries forward into the next few games.”

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