Queen’s Women’s Basketball opened its season with a 66-point win, despite entering the year with a different roster and offensive approach.
The Gaels defeated the Algoma Thunderbirds 106-40 on Oct. 24 at the George Leach Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., improving to 1-0. Queen’s entered the season after finishing 21-1 last year before falling 61-54 to the Carleton Ravens in the OUA semifinals.
With several key players departing the program, Head Coach Claire Meadows has spent the offseason adjusting how the Gaels approach games.
In an interview with The Journal, Meadows said the team identified specific areas for improvement during the summer, particularly following the departures of Kiyara Letlow, Kin ’26, and Bella Gaudet, Comm ’26.
“Because of the players who graduated, I think we needed to reassess and play a bit of a different style of basketball coming into this season,” Meadows said.
The changes involve a greater emphasis on guard play and creating scoring opportunities from the perimeter.
Meadows said Queen’s is encouraging its guards to attack defenders individually, create openings, and make decisions when opposing defenders move to help.
While the offence has changed, the Gaels intend to maintain the defensive pressure that contributed to their success last season.
“The one thing that has stayed the same that we started to do last season is just being disruptive defensively and playing in the full court for 40 minutes,” Meadows said.
That defensive approach was on display against Algoma, with Queen’s recording 30 steals and scoring 48 points off turnovers.
The Gaels took control early, outscoring Algoma 40-14 in the opening quarter before entering halftime with a 63-27 lead.
Ally Smith, Kin ’27, and Haley Barbieri, ArtSci ’27, led Queen’s with 16 points each. Katrina Renon, ArtSci ’27, added 13, while Brooke Hussey, Kin ’28, finished with 12 points and six assists.
The Gaels also received 49 points from their bench, with 11 players contributing to the scoring.
Meadows said using more of the roster will remain important given the physical demands of Queen’s playing style.
“Because we play a high pace style of play and we’re picking up and we’re pressing, we always want to try to dig a bit deeper into our bench,” she said.
Among those expected to take on larger roles are Hussey, Sarah Reid, Kin ’29, and Maddy Boyd, Comm ’27.
Meadows highlighted Boyd’s ability to facilitate the offence from the forward position, particularly through her passing and screening.
“Maddie’s one of the best passers and screeners I think I’ve seen in a long time,” Meadows said.
Queen’s is also welcoming several new players, including Folu Motunde, ArtSci ’30, Zoe Bentley, Kin ’30, and Lily Stewart, ArtSci ’30.
All three appeared in the season opener, with Motunde contributing 10 points, Bentley adding six, and Stewart finishing with four.
Meadows said she is particularly interested in seeing how the younger players develop throughout the season.
The Gaels entered regular-season competition following seven exhibition victories, including wins over Waterloo, the University of Prince Edward Island, and Lethbridge at the Tindall Invitational Tournament in Kingston.
Despite those results, Meadows said the most encouraging part of the preseason was the team’s improvement between games.
“The consensus was that we got better every time we stepped on the floor,” she said.
As Queen’s moves into the regular season, Meadows said the team’s emphasis remains on its daily preparation rather than focusing entirely on results.
The Gaels will look to build on their opening victory when they travel to Ottawa to face the Gee-Gees on Oct. 30 at 6 p.m., followed by the Carleton Ravens on Oct. 31 at 6 p.m.
Queen’s will return to the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) for its home opener against the Western Mustangs on Nov. 6 at 6 p.m.
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