parpho@rogers.com

11/12/2011 8:53:00 PM
KINGSTON, Ont. (November 12, 2011) - Brittany Moore of Hannon, Ont. led all scorers with 26 points, including 13 in overtime, to lead the Queen's Gaels (2-0) to an 83-77 overtime victory over the Guelph Gryphons (1-1).

The game was back and forth from the beginning with the teams trading leads. The Gaels jumped out to a 20-12 lead in the first quarter but could not hold off the Gryphons, as Guelph came right back into the game with a 20-11 second quarter and went into halftime with a 32-31 lead. Even with the close scoreline the Gaels had difficulty executing offensively in the first half, hitting 27.8 percent of their shots from the floor despite getting more second chances with 12 offensive rebounds.

The third quarter was the most wide open of the game as the Gaels outscored the Gryphons 20-19 in the frame to even up the game at 51 apiece. Guelph was quick out of the gate in the fourth quarter and built a slight lead over the Gaels, though Queen's fought back in the latter half of the quarter. A three point play from Moore gave the Gaels a 61-58 lead with four minutes to play.

The Gryphons stayed in the game despite the Gaels lead and evened the score at 66-66. With the score tied, the teams traded possession with under 30 seconds to play. Guelph had the best opportunity to win with possession and 17 seconds on the clock. A strong defensive stand from the Gaels forced a Guelph turnover and gave Queen's possession with two seconds to play. The last ditch effort by the Gaels to clinch the win in regulation was unsuccessful and overtime was needed.

Moore took the game over in the extra frame from the opening second, intercepting a Guelph inbound pass and laying it in to give the Gaels a lead. Later in the period she responded with three point baskets on three consecutive Gaels possessions to pace Queen's to victory. The Gaels outscored the Gryphons 17-11 in overtime, with 13 points from Moore, to seal the victory.

Despite what he felt was a sluggish first half for the Gaels, head coach Dave Wilson thought the team got stronger as the game went along, "Down the stretch we found some energy and in overtime that came through."

Moore came alive in the second half with 25 points after managing only one point in the first to lead all scorers with 26. The next closest scorer in the game was Jasmine Douglas of Guelph, Ont. who put up a double-double for the Gryphons with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Ali Dzikowski of Brantford, Ont. was close behind with 18 points of her own for Guelph. Liz Boag of Kingston, Ont. and Christine Wallace of North Gower, Ont. were both in double digits for the Gaels with 14 and 11 points respectively. Sydney Kernahan of Calgary was all over the glass for the Gaels with a team high 13 rebounds.

With the win, the Gaels improve to 2-0 on the season after a 57-44 home opener victory over the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Friday. Moore also led the Gaels in scoring during that game with 13 points.