Queen’s Men’s Basketball travelled to Ottawa last weekend to take on the Ottawa Gee-Gees and Carleton Ravens on Feb. 5 and 6.
Both teams sat comfortably as two of the nation’s top 10 teams, Ottawa ranking fifth and Carleton ranking eight entering the weekend. Fresh off a two-point loss in an offensive battle against the number 10 ranked Brock Badgers, this past weekend served as a test of the team’s mettle. Facing the top three teams in the OUA in three games, each team served as a probable matchup in the closely approaching playoffs.
On Friday, the Gaels found a seven-point lead earlier in the first quarter, but the Gee-Gees whittled the lead down to one by the beginning of the second. Struggles for Queen’s continued into the second and third, outscored 33-18 and 28-17 respectively.
Despite a final quarter surge, scoring 24 to the Gee-Gees’ 12, it wouldn’t be enough as Queen’s would lose their first game of the weekend 95-82.
First-year Ollie Engen, Kin ’28, was the sole bright spot with 23 points, shooting 10-15 from the field. The team had a 38 per cent field goal percentage, converting only 21.7 percent attempts from beyond the arc.
It was a tough break for a team that had been competitive in all matchups up to this point. Their weekend continued to get worse with a 92-72 loss the next day against the Carleton Ravens.
Right off the bat, the Gaels went down thirteen in the first quarter, never holding a lead. A closely contested second and third quarter would be rendered moot, as the Ravens would hold Queen’s to only nine points in the final quarter.
The team had a better percentage from deep, shooting 34.5 per cent, but only converting a third of their shots, plus allowing 21 second chance points was a recipe for disaster.
In an interview with The Journal, Men’s Basketball head coach, Stephan Barrie pointed to numerous factors for the team’s poor performance. The team found themselves with large deficits early, lacked rebounded, and had many costly turnovers.
Barrie also pointed out the team’s resilience in the face of adversity, and the work they’ve put into moving onto next week despite the losses.
“We’re in a tough conference—you’ve got to be able to move past both your wins and your losses quickly. So certainly, [I] feel our guys have handled that well this week to get themselves on track and ready for our weekend road trip,” Barrie said.
Looking ahead, the team will play two formidable teams in the Nipissing Lakers and Laurentian Voyageurs before hosting a rematch at home against the Gee-Gees and Ravens.
It’s a learning opportunity for a young team, playing four freshmen with significant minutes. The team benefits from the energy that the new class brings to the program but also lacks in the veteran from previous iterations of the program.
“It’s much easier when the burden is shared between six or seven guys in of that experience factor, than when it’s just two or three,” Barrie added.
When it comes to the team’s matchups in the regular season, and playoffs Barrie isn’t scared of the challenges the team faces.
“We just have to fight harder, to play better basketball, to make better decisions in moments, both sides of the ball,” Barrie said.
The Gaels will travel to Nipissing and Laurentian this weekend, with the OUA playoffs starting Feb. 19.
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