Offensive woes

Shooting struggles prove costly out west

The Gaels shot themselves out of a perfect start to the regular season last weekend.

Queen’s lost 69-60 to the Western Mustangs last Friday and fell 82-56 to the Windsor Lancers in a blowout on Saturday.

Against the Mustangs (3-1), the Gaels (2-2) led in every statistical category but couldn’t buy a bucket. They shot 32.4 per cent from the field and made only five free throws in 16 attempts.

Gaels head coach Dave Wilson said the shots his team missed were open looks.

“The shots we created were good shots. The shots we took were good shots,” Wilson said. “That was frustrating because [Western’s] a team we should beat.”

Wing Jenny Wright couldn’t find her shooting stride all game, registering only five points. She made only one field goal in 11 attempts.

Fellow wing Gemma Bullard also had difficulty scoring, going three for 16 from the field and shooting two for 11 from three-point range.

In addition to their offensive struggles during regular play, the Gaels are currently the fourth-worst free throw shooting team in the country.

“Our initial thought was that it looked like we were going to be much better foul shooters than in the previous years,” Wilson said. “That has not materialized.”

Wilson expressed disappointment in the Gaels’ unsteady play so far.

“We’ve shown no consistency in how we play in terms of whether it’s a Friday game or a Saturday game, and on the road or a home game,” he said.

Gaels guard Liz Boag scored a team-high 14 points, while guard Jenny Vaughan led the Mustangs with 21.

On Saturday, the Gaels couldn’t keep up with Windsor (3-1) after outscoring them 15-11 in the first quarter.

They were beat in every statistical category except for rebounding. The Lancers registered 20 steals and forced the Gaels to commit 27 turnovers.

Boag was held to five points, while Wright and Bullard led Queen’s with 14 and 13, respectively.

Windsor forward Jessica Clemencon had a double-double with 24 points and 14 rebounds.

Wilson believes the Lancers are the most talented team in the CIS.

“[They’re] the most athletically gifted,” Wilson said. “They have the ability to disrupt everything that we do. Anytime you make a mistake, they are there to capitalize.”

Gaels guard Emily Hazlett said the squad didn’t prepare any differently for the Lancers.

“I think we go into any game, no matter who we’re play, with the same mentality: we’re going to win this game,” she said. The Gaels will look to snap their two-game losing streak on the road this weekend. They’ll face the Laurier Golden Hawks (3-1) tonight and the Waterloo Warriors (1-2) tomorrow.

Tags

Gaels, Western, Wilson, Windsor, women's basketball

All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to content