Women’s Basketball makes history with U SPORTS silver medal

Gaels fall to Ravens in national championship final

Image supplied by: Supplied by James Paddle Grant
Women's Basketball won silver.

This weekend, Queen’s Women’s Basketball collected their second silver medal of the year and made history with their best-ever regular season record and U SPORTS finish. 

After a three game U SPORTS championship, run with wins over the Citadins and Pandas, Queen’s fell to the Carleton Ravens in the championship game. Even though the season didn’t end with the result they wanted, the team is still proud of all they’ve accomplished this year.

“We have to understand what we’ve done in the last two years—I think we’ve really changed the program in terms of, you know, what we do, how we do it, you know, how people view us,” Head Coach Claire Meadows said in an interview with Athletics and Recreation (A&R). 

“I’m just like, so incredibly proud of that group of people. They’re incredible human beings. They have the utmost character, and it shows when we play.”

Before the Gaels fell to Carleton, they played their hearts out in a semifinals game against the Alberta Pandas.

“I thought it was a great basketball game,” Meadows said in her interview.

“They shot 50 per cent from the floor, over 50 per cent from the floor in the first half. So, we knew that we had to tighten up our D.”

Down at half, the Alberta game looked like it might end Queen’s quest for gold; however, birthday girl, Laura Donovan, had other plans.

Donovan shot over 66 per cent from the three-point line in the second half, totaling 21 points overall. Her consistent three-point shooting helped carry the team through the semifinals game and into the finals as well. Donovan sunk a total of 11 threes in her last two games.

After winning the semi-final game, Queen’s made history. It marked the first time in program history that a team had advanced to the U SPORTS championship final.

“When we were on the court and there was 14 seconds left, and we’re up by eight, I looked at a couple of my teammates and we all got chills just thinking about the fact that we’ve worked so hard for this. And it’s been our goal since the beginning of the year, and it’s absolutely insane that it’s coming true,” Donovan said to A&R of the game against Alberta.

The next day, in their final against the Ravens, Queen’s kept up the momentum.

Rookie Isabella Gaudet shut down Raven’s star point-guard Kali Pocrnic, and Julia Chadwick’s rebounding helped the Gaels keep possession. Donovan scored a game high 23 points and Bridget Mulholland put up 17 points and six rebounds.

Carleton, having faced Queen’s just a few weeks earlier in the OUA final, knew what to expect and turned up the heat at half. 

“I thought in the second half, particularly, they increased their defensive pressure, and it was quite disruptive. We got into foul trouble, and that also hurt us. So, between the two, I think that was the change in the game,” Meadows said of the Ravens in her interview.

Regardless of the disappointing outcome, the Gaels still have a lot to be proud of and even more to look forward to.

“This group has put in a ton of work, so they’re deserving of this opportunity. We had a great season, and the season that we had lined us up to get to the spots. So, like I said, they’re deserving of it and I’m super proud of them,” Meadows said.

Tags

Laura Donovan, silver, U Sports, women's basketball

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