An emotional end to a promising season.
The Queen’s women’s basketball team advanced to the OUA semifinals after a swift win against the York Lions on Feb. 18. The Gaels were awarded home-court advantage in the OUA semifinal on Feb. 25 versus the Carleton Ravens after their impressive 21-1 campaign.
Standing in their way of a U Sports championship berth was Carleton, a powerhouse program that has won two of the past three OUA and U Sports championships.
The game began with the Gaels’ stars—Kiyara Letlow, MSc ’26, Bella Gaudet, Comm ’26, and Katrina Renon, ArtSci ’27—all contributing offensively early, hoping to set the tone for the night. The Ravens would answer back and score.
The first quarter was tightly contested and ultimately ended with a two-point lead for the Ravens.
In the second quarter is where the Gaels struggled most to score, shooting just 20 per cent from the field and, more importantly, unable to contain the Ravens’ offence. Carleton knocked down three shots from beyond the arc in the quarter, extending their lead to as many as 12. In the dying seconds of the half, the Gaels sank a three-pointer, hoping to carry that momentum into the second.
Unfortunately for the Gaels, as Carleton’s lead grew, every shot began to feel like a must-make. The Ravens leaned heavily on their top offensive threat, Kyana-Jade Poulin, who had her strongest quarter of the game, contributing nine of the team’s 16 points in the frame. They entered the final quarter up 15, with much of the energy drained from the ARC.
The fourth quarter marked the final push for the Gaels’ season hopes as they scratched and clawed at the deficit in front of them. Slowly, cutting the deficit to as little as six points with under a minute remaining. The lead, however, was too large to overcome, as the Gaels fell by a score of 61–54.
A devastating loss for the Gaels, especially after one of the most successful regular seasons in Queen’s women’s basketball history. A year that saw graduating players dominate and put the league on notice came to an end on a snowy, quiet Wednesday night—the kind that makes the silence in an emptying gym linger just a little longer.
Tags
Basketball, Carleton Ravens, OUA Semifinals
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