The ARC saw plenty of action last weekend as the Gaels hosted their annual Tindall Invitational tournament.
Women’s Basketball
The Women’s Basketball team will be stepping into the regular season undefeated after concluding their pre-season at the Tindall Invitational Tournament.
On Friday, Oct. 20, the Gaels beat the Windsor Lancers 79-64 with top scorers being Julia Chadwick, MIR ’25, Katrina Renon, ArtSci ’27, and Bella Belvedere, Comm ’24.
The following day, on Oct. 21, they took on the Cape Breton Capers, proving victorious again with a score of 67-54. The top scorers were Chadwick, Emma Weltz, Nurs ’24, and Renon.
On Oct. 22, the Gaels lined up against the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) for the final day of the tournament.
Though less shots made it through the net than when Queen’s met UQAM on Oct. 13., the difference in scoring between each team was more apparent this weekend compared to when the Gaels secured another tournament win on Sunday with a score of 52-31.
Despite UQAM getting the first basket early in the game, the teams were tied one minute and 35 seconds into the game. The Gaels took the lead quickly, with another basket less than 30 seconds later to make the score 4-2 in favour of the Gaels.
By the midway point of the first quarter, the Gaels were up 10-3. When the first quarter ended at 18-3, Chadwick and Renon saw their names on the game’s scoresheet multiple times already.
The second quarter was just as dominant for the Gaels, who went into half-time with a score of 39-10.
“Everyone on our team is a threat,” Chadwick said after the game. “That makes it hard for the other team to guard because everyone is a scorer.”
Though the third quarter was much slower for the Gaels, who put up six points, the point differential on the score board was still large. They finished the quarter at 45-18.
Following another low-scoring quarter, the Gaels finished the game with a score of 52-31.
Renon, whose name was on the scoresheet all tournament, was happy with how both the game and weekend turned out.
“Everyone contributed on the team, and I think we got the open shots that we wanted,” she said. “We played against a lot of physical teams and that’s really good to prepare us for the games, just because as a team, I don’t think we’re used to the physicality.”
The top scorer of Sunday’s game was Keira Spencer, ArtSci ’27, who finished the game with nine points.
“It’s my teammates just having the trust in me to take those shots,” she said when asked how she put up all the points. “Their confidence in me and their is really great.”
Spencer is one of many rookies on the team, and she shared how this tournament has helped her prepare for her first season as a Gael.
“Being able to play with the girls and play in this environment is really helpful because it’s just so fun,” Spencer said. “I feel like that’s like one of the most important parts of it.”
The Gaels are looking to carry this momentum into the regular season.
“In the pre-season, we took big steps every single game to get a bit better every game and so just looking to carry that through into the season,” Chadwick said.
The Gaels next game is their home opener on Nov. 3 against the Laurentian Voyagers. The Gaels are 24-3 against the Voyagers since 2009.
Men’s Basketball
Starting the tournament strong, the Gaels beat the Brock Badgers 61-55 on Oct. 20. The top scorers of the game were Cameron Bett, ArtSci ’24, and Fofo Adetogun, MIR ’25.
Queen’s then fell for the first time this pre-season on Oct. 21 in their game against the Victoria Vikes. The score was 84-75. Luka Syllas, ConEd ’24, was the top scorer of the game, followed by Bett and Adetogun.
Despite this loss, they managed to end the tournament off on a high note when they beat the UQAM Citadins 94-88 in a tight game.
“We haven’t really been playing the best basketball when it comes to fluidity and teamwork. But I think this weekend, we worked on it and got a lot better,” Bett said in a post-game interview with The Journal.
UQAM took the first basketball and the lead early in the game and were sitting above the Gaels with a score of 12-8 by the middle of the first quarter.
The Gaels briefly took the lead at 20-19 with a three-point shot from Connor Kelly, ArtSci ’24, but the quarter ended 24-22 for the Citadins.
The second quarter was once again very tight. The final few minutes saw UQAM take a 44-33 lead before the Gaels came back and the quarter closed at 46-44, the Gaels only behind by two.
Tying the game right away, the Gaels and Citadins fought back-and-forth for the lead. It wasn’t until there were four minutes left in the quarter that the Gaels lead started to take shape. The score was 74-62 for the Gaels going into the final quarter.
The Gaels managed to hold on to their lead in the fourth quarter, but the Citadins weren’t backing off. The teams came within two points with four minutes and six seconds left on the clock.
Pulling through, the Gaels secured the win with a score of 94-88. The top scorer of the game was Bett, who put 26 points on the scoreboard.
“It’s just about taking game by game and day by day, and just staying humble, keeping to the process and [being] work driven,” Bett said after the game when asked about carrying the success into the preseason.
Syllas commented on the teamwork it takes to get baskets.
“I think our team has done a really good job of moving the ball and I think a lot of my points are off our defensive rebounds and getting stops [and] pushing in transition,” he said.
The close game excited many fans and players alike.
“It was a really good team win, really gritty,” Syllas said. “We were down with the first half by almost ten and then coming back to end up winning it was really big and I think it was good to get a close game like that out of the preseason to prepare us for the season.”
The Gaels take on the Concordia Stingers for one last exhibition game on Oct. 27, before returning home for the season opener against the Laurentian Voyagers on Nov. 3.
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