After breaking records, hitting milestones, and winning games, Julia Chadwick’s, ArtSci ’24, monster 43-point, 27-rebound night and Cole Syllas’, Sci ’24, 1,000th point contributed to the Women’s and Men’s Basketball teams’ victories against the York Lions.
Both Queen’s teams smothered the Lions over the weekend, with the Women’s team securing a 95-53 win and an 81-55 win from the Men’s team. Syllas and Chadwick were named Queen’s Varsity Athletes of the Week on Jan. 15 for their prowess on the court.
Saturday’s games were partnered with the Queen’s Shift Project—part of the Campus Wellness Project which organizes events and initiatives centred on deconstructing racism and uplifting equity-deserving students in the Queen’s community. During both games’ quarter breaks and halftime, representatives from the Queen’s Shift Project organized activities for spectators which were centred around anti-racism, like trivia.
Women’s Basketball
The Women’s Basketball team tipped off at 6 p.m. in the ARC’s Main Gym.
From the first possession, the Gaels’ ball movement was essential in getting Chadwick open and firing, which lead to her record-breaking night.
Before long, the defensive tenacity of the Gaels’ frontcourt overwhelmed the Lions’ offence, resulting in a 22-11 lead for the Gaels as they finished the first quarter.
Seeing as the Gaels have the fewest points against in the OUA this season, Head Coach Claire Meadows touched on the focus the Gaels have dedicated towards bolstering their defensive presence.
“It’s been a pretty massive focus for us,” she said. “Ever since last year, we knew we had most of our core group returning, that [defence] was one piece we need to get better at, just being more tenacious in our approach. I think we did a pretty good job.”
Throughout the rest of the game, the Gaels stuck to their bread and butter, pressuring the Lions into 27 turnovers, and igniting Chadwick’s 43-point, 27-rebound game, breaking the Women’s Basketball single-game records in both rebounds and points. Chadwick previously had the rebound record, which she set last season, but the single-game point record has stood since 2009, when it was set by Brittany Moore.
Men’s Basketball
Following the electric Women’s victory, the Men’s game was underway at 8 p.m., where the crowd saw yet another dominant Gaels performance.
From tip off, the Syllas brothers, who have been responsible for much of the Gaels’ offensive success this season, were off to a hot start.
Luka Syllas got the Gaels offence started with a 3-pointer. Combined with a contested shot and a huge block, Syllas gave the Gaels the momentum they needed to maintain a lead for what would be the rest of the game.
Going into the second quarter the Gaels were up 22-10. Forward Malcolm Bailey, ArtSci ’27, stepped up big, asserting himself as a dominant presence in the paint, forcing the Lions to settle for tough, contested shots outside of their scoring range.
The Gaels finished the first half leading 46-28 and showed no signs of decline in the second half, with Aaron Tennant, Law ’26, completing an electric alley-oop early in the third quarter.
The Gaels closed out the game 81-55, and saw Bailey shoot 100 per cent from the field in his first game back after missing significant time with a lower-body injury. According to Head Coach Stephan Barrie, Bailey’s return to the court was a highlight of the Gaels’ win.
“Malcolm Bailey played for the first time since November,” Barrie said. “I think all the guys were just really happy for him because he’s dealt with some injuries, so that, in terms of performance is someone who will stand out for me from this weekend.”
Both Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams are preparing for two back-to-back weekends away, as they gear up to face the TMU Bold on Jan. 19 and the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Jan. 20.
Tags
Basketball, Shift Project, York Lions
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