The recent road trip to Ottawa proved to be a tough test for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams. Matchups against the Ottawa Gee-Gees and the Carleton Ravens loomed as the teams made the short two-hour trip down the highway to our nation’s capital.
On Jan. 20, the men’s team was first challenged by the first-place University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, but were unable to seriously compete with the OUA Eastern Division’s leading team.
The Gaels fell 77-44, led by the performances of Brendan O’Leary and Neal Dawson who each scored 13 points. Gee-Gees players Marko Jovic and Alex MacLeod led the way for the winning team with 14 points apiece.
“We just didn’t play well. That’s all there is to it,” said head coach Rob Smart. “We played with no energy and they played much harder than we did.”
The game marked the fourth consecutive loss for the Gaels and moved them into a tie for fifth place in the OUA Eastern Division.
The road trip did not get any easier for the men’s team as they took on the dominant Carleton Ravens the following day. Unfortunately for the Gaels, the Ravens’ losing streak extended to five games as they fell in a one-sided 76-41 loss.
Queen’s guard Simon Mitchell was productive in his 26 minutes on the floor, scoring 12 points to lead the Gaels. Kingston native Stu Turnbull scored four points for the winning side, but it was dominant games by Carleton players Ryan Bell and Osvaldo Jeanty that proved to be too much to handle for the Gaels.
“I thought we played better in the [Carleton] game. We had some good looks and just didn’t shoot the ball well,” Smart said. “Ryan Bell really stood out. We always had a hand in his face and he was still able to score.”
Coach Smart said he was confused about the lack of energy shown by the men’s team over the course of the road trip.
“We were going into two places where basketball has become very important and to be quite honest, mentally and physically we just didn’t show up,” he said.
The men’s team takes on Laurentian and York in Bartlett gym this weekend and Smart said he expects better results.
The women’s team had better results over the course of the Ottawa road trip. They squared off against the Gee-Gees in the first game of the road trip as well, and were able to come up with an important 42-38 win in a very close game.
Sarah Barnes led the way for the Golden Gaels with 10 points and was helped out by Jamie Dale, who scored nine. The victory was important because it allowed the Gaels to maintain their second-place hold in the OUA Eastern Division standings. The second game of the women’s road trip was not as successful as the first, as the Carleton Ravens secured a 66-51 victory. The Ravens were led by dominant performances by Sarah Kennedy and Dasa Farthing. Claire Meadows led the way for the Gaels, netting 11 points in the loss. Anne Murphy had an irable performance as well, scoring only 4 points but leading the Gaels in rebounding with 8.
“We just came out a bit flat in this game,” Meadows said. “We had trouble getting our feet wet, and we didn’t carry through with our defence.”
Despite the loss, the women’s team was able to maintain its spot at second place in OUA Eastern Division. The games will be a test for the women as the playoff picture becomes clearer, Meadows said.
“It is just a matter of who comes out with the most heart [in our games],” she said. “Whoever wants it the most will come out on top, but any team can win the OUA.”
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