The Men’s Basketball team’s season came to an end on March 14 after losing 98-107 to the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds in the U SPORTS National Championships consolation semi-final.
The Gaels’ suffered their first tournament on March 13 in the quarterfinals, falling 98-109 to the Canada West champions, the Calgary Dinos.
Against Calgary, the Gaels struggled to contain the Dinos’ lights-out shooting and relentless rebounding, which created second-chance scoring opportunities. The Dinos shot an impressive 54.3 percent from beyond the arc, while the Gaels managed just 38.5 percent, making it difficult to limit the efficiency of Calgary’s shooters.
AJ Cummings, ArtSci ’26, did everything he could to keep the Gaels’ national championship hopes alive, scoring 24 points while shooting 6-8 from the three-point line.
The first quarter saw both teams trading baskets, but despite shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc, the Gaels were struggling, shooting just 32 percent from the field. This inefficiency opened the door for the Dinos to take a six-point lead, exiting the first frame 25-31.
The Gaels began chipping away at Calgary’s lead in the second quarter, showing potential for a much-needed comeback. They outscored the Dinos 30-24, largely thanks to a well-rounded offensive effort from the Gaels bench.
Up to this point, U SPORTS Player of the Year Nate Petrone had been relatively quiet for the Dinos, as the Gaels effectively forced the ball out of his hands. However, Calgary’s depth proved overwhelming, with numerous Dinos stepping and hitting huge threes, stifling the Gaels’ hopes of a comeback.
The second half told a different story, with Petrone exploding for 11 third-quarter points and building the Dinos’ lead back up to seven points.
Meanwhile, the Gaels continued to struggle offensively, shooting just over 36 percent from the field as they struggled to keep up with Calgary’s high-powered offence.
In the final frame, the Gaels ultimately came up short. Going 2-7 from deep, and 11-24 from the field, the Dinos ran away with the lead closing out the Gaels 98-109.
Aidan Smith, Nate Petrone, and Dylan Lutes all scored over 20 points for Calgary, while Cummings and OUA and U SPORTS Rookie of The Year, Ollie Engen, Kin ’28, recorded 20 plus point nights of their own for Queen’s.
The following night, the Gaels returned to the War Memorial Gym in Vancouver, BC., for their consolation semi-final matchup against the UBC Thunderbirds.
Once again, rebounding and the opponent’s efficient scoring proved to be the Gaels’ downfall. After falling behind early, they were unable to dig themselves out of their deficit.
The Thunderbirds dominated the boards 26-17 in the first half while shooting 15 percent better than the Gaels from beyond the arc.
Luka Syllas, ConEd ’25, a six-year veteran and leader of the team, fought to keep Queen’s in the game, scoring 10 points in the first half.
Unfortunately for the Gaels, Syllas’ effort wasn’t enough, as they trailed 50-63 going into the half.
Despite keeping the Thunderbirds’ lead at 13 through most of the third quarter, a few huge threes from UBC led them to a 16-point lead going into the final quarter of the Gaels’ season.
Queen’s battled until the final buzzer, chipping away at the deficit, but there wasn’t enough time for them to entirely turn the tide, eventually losing 98-107.
Though not the result they were hoping for, the Gaels’ season was filled with perseverance. Coach Stephen Barrie’s new defensive “System” showed much promise, and young players like Engen will continue to grow alongside Barrie’s new approach to the game.
While the Gaels couldn’t repeat last year’s final two appearances, a top-10 finish nationally offers a promising future for Gaels’ Men’s Basketball.
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