KINGSTON, Ont. (January 9, 2015) – Fresh off the winter break, the Gaels (5-3) grabbed an outstanding 90-34 victory against the Nipissing Lakers (0-7) on Friday night in their first game of the New Year.
 
The Gaels were led by Jenny Wright (Kingston, Ont.) who scored 15 points. Maddie Morris (Seeley's Bay, Ont.), Robyn Pearson (Toronto) and Emily Hazlett (Fredericton, N.B.) had strong showings for the Gaels each putting in 12 points. Despite their loss, Claire Abbott led all scorers for the Lakers with 20 points.  
 
The Gaels got out in front right away, scoring seven points holding off the Lakers until halfway through the first quarter. Shots from the Lakers began to find the basket as the quarter closed but the Gaels stayed ahead by six going into the second. With Wright driving their offence, the Gaels picked it up from the outside and pulled away with a 16-3 run to double their opponents who received 19 turnovers in just the first half.
 
With a 51-19 lead to go into the second half, the Gaels continued to dominate the court and left the Lakers in their dust, outscoring them 20-9 and leading by 43 points for the last quarter of play. Abbott kept the Lakers energy high in the final frame even as the Gaels pulled out of Nipissing's reach, ending the game with a 90-34 victory.
 
"The feeling is that the offence is fickle," said Coach Dave Wilson as the team prepares for Laurentian Saturday. "If you're not making your shots, you need to be able to play really tough defence to limit the good opportunities that the opponent gets. If we take care of the defensive end of the floor, hopefully they won't get the chance to get their shots off."
 
Queen's raised over $3,100 in their annual Shoot for the Cure night and five members of the Gaels team also cut their hair in support of the cause.

The Gaels will be back in action tomorrow night, January 10, when they host Laurentian University at 6:00 pm in the ARC Main Gym.