WBB | Voyageurs Fall to Tenth-Ranked Gaels
The Laurentian Voyageurs women's basketball team had a tough outing on Friday night as they lost to the tenth-ranked team in the country, the Queen's Gaels, by a score of 93-53.
The Gaels came out with a bang as they started the match on an 11-0 run. But unfortunately, the Gaels were too much for the Vees in the first quarter as they outscored the Voyageurs by a score of 28-14. The Gaels achieved this early success in large part thanks to their efficient shooting as they shot 47.4% from the field while they restricted the Voyageurs to 38.5% shooting. The Gaels were led by Laura Donovan, Julia Chadwick and Isabella Belvedere who all scored four points each and were followed by three other players who scored three points each. The Voyageurs were led by Maria La Rosa with six points by Héléna Lamoureaux with five points.
The Voyageurs restricted the Gaels to 17 points in the second quarter but did not threaten the Gael lead in any way. They managed to cut the lead to nine points but that would be as close as they would get as by the end of the half, the Gaels had stretched their lead by 19 points, with the scoreboard reading 45-26. The Gaels shot 41.2% in the quarter and were led by Chadwick with six points and Natalie Froese with five points. On the other hand, the Voyageurs shot 27.8% in the quarter and were led by Lamoureaux with five points and Gabby Schaffner with three points.
The Voyageurs' defence improved in the third quarter as they restricted the Gaels to 35.3% shooting but they themselves shot 30.8%. As a result, they were unable to reduce the deficit. At the end of the quarter, the scoreboard read 63-41 in favour of the Gaels. The Gaels were led. By Donovan with five points and Chadwick and Sophie de Goede with four points. Conversely, Lamoureaux and Schaffner led the Voyageur charge with six points each and were followed by Bailey Tabin with three points.
Moving on, the Gaels had their best scoring quarter in the fourth where they added 30 points to their tally. Even though the Voyageurs shot 41.7%, they were restricted to only 12 points, meanwhile the Gaels shot 48.0%. The Gael lead was never threatened through the quarter and ultimately, the Queen's Gaels came out on the winning by a score of 93-53.
The Gaels were led by Megan Saftich with 10 points Belvedere in the quarter, while the Voyageurs were led by Arielle Douillette with five points and Schaffner with three points.
The Voyageurs will now travel to Oshawa to take on the 1-18 Ontario Tech Ridgebacks tomorrow, February 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 pm at Campus and Recreation Wellness Centre.
Wali Khan