Women’s basketball back on form

Team defeats the University of Toronto and Ryerson in a solid homestand

Teddi Firmi surveys the court during Saturday’s game against the Ryerson Rams. The Gaels won 70-46.
Image by: Katrina Ludlow
Teddi Firmi surveys the court during Saturday’s game against the Ryerson Rams. The Gaels won 70-46.

The women’s basketball team racked up two victories this past weekend, defeating a strong Toronto team 60-55 on Friday night, and then routing Ryerson 70-46 on Saturday. Jessica Selinger led the Gaels in points over the weekend, putting up 22 in the first game and 14 against Ryerson. “Most of [my points were] from the foul line,” she said.

Claire Meadows, a fifth-year co-captain of the Gaels, also had an outstanding weekend, recording 29 points during the two games. In Friday night’s game, the Gaels were closely matched against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. The Gaels went into the half with a 27-26 lead. The score was again tight in the second half, and the game built to an exciting climax. Late in the fourth, with Toronto up 47-46, Selinger drove to the basket and drew a foul. She converted both shots to give Queen’s a one-point lead. The Gaels took advantage of the momentum, and soon held a 56-51 lead. But Toronto pressed hard, scoring four points in a row to narrow the score to 56-55 with less than a minute to go. The Gaels were able to hang on down the stretch, with both Meadows and Selinger hitting key foul shots to seal the win.

Saturday’s game was more of a mismatch, as the Gaels took on a Ryerson team with a 2-14 record. The Gaels dominated from the start, and led 37-18 by halftime. In the second half, the Gaels used heir bench heavily, but never allowed Ryerson back into the game. “It was an important game for us,”

Queen’s head coach Dave Wilson said. “[We played] a tough game the night before, so we were banged up and bruised a little bit. “Sometimes, coming back against a team that’s struggling in the league, and has only two wins, it’s hard to be at your best.” Meadows agreed.

“We had a big win last night, so we had to stay focused for tonight: we came out strong, and we did what we had to,” she said. “We prepared all week for Toronto, and we executed defensively what the coaches wanted us to do. Tonight, we didn’t have much prep, but we came out and played another good game.”

The team will play their next games against Laurentian and York on February 2nd and 3rd in Sudbury. ueen’s lost their last meeting to York by a score of 66-45, and needed overtime to beat Laurentian 65- 62. “Last time against York, we were really slow. We weren’t focused: we were off our games,” Meadows said. “If we can have a good week of practices, and come out more focused, we can do well.”

Teddi Firmi, the team’s second-year starting point guard, said the team is stronger than it was last season. “We have more depth this year, [and] more experience. A lot of us stayed here during the summer and trained together, and I think that that’s paid off.” Coach Wilson shared Firmi’s sentiments. “We went into the season feeling that we were a stronger team than a year ago,” he

said. “A year ago, our record was 11-11, and right now we’re 12-5, so I’d have to say that we’ve made some improvement.

“The strength of this group is their brains. They actually understand the game really well, and have been able to make really good decisions. That’s what has made us a stronger team than last year.”

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