KINGSTON, Ont. – Despite a second quarter comeback that saw the Mustangs scoreboard surpass that of the Gaels, Western was unable to secure a victory on Saturday night at the Kingston ARC.
 
The loss moves the purple and white record to 4-5, to tie Brock for sixth place in the OUA West.
 
Veteran Mackenzie Puklicz helmed the purple and white offence with 21 points and a team-high three offensive rebounds. Defensively speaking, Maddy Horst, Victoria Heine, and Laura Graham split responsibilities between them.
 
Marianne Alarie led the way for Queen's, recording 23 points to be the highest scoring athlete of the evening. She chipped in another three offensive rebounds, and three defensive rebounds.
 
The first quarter was tightly contested, as neither team was able to build much momentum. Western stayed only a few points behind the Gaels for the majority of the frame, thanks largely to the offensive efforts of Horst and Puklicz. 
 
Queen's didn't take a substantial lead until the end of the first quarter, when the Gaels switched out the majority of the lineup and let fresh legs hit the court. The change was made when the Gaels were up 13-9 with four and a half minutes remaining, but they would end the quarter with a more commanding 24-16 lead.
 
Western spent the entire second quarter catching up and eventually took the lead following a jump shot from Horst. The final minute of the game reverted back to the point-for-point battle of the first frame, with the teams coming out with an even score of 34-34.
 
The Gaels suffered a number of bad bounces in the third that kept them off the scoreboard, only winding back up and starting to claw their way back from a 13-point deficit in the final minutes. Alarie helmed the comeback effort by adding five points to the board, while Veronika Lavergne connected twice on jump shots.
 
The bounce back effort slowed down as the game moved into the fourth quarter however, as neither team added points for the first four minutes of the quarter.
 
Lavergne was the first Gael to break out of the lull, and helped turn momentum around in their favour. Dixon, Ritcey, and Alarie rounded out the offensive effort in the final quarter, combining for a final push that put Queen's ahead.
 
The Gaels held a narrow one-point lead with only thirty seconds remaining, but a jump shot from De Goede pushed the team further ahead. Western tried to counter by launching a last-minute 3-pointer but was unable to tie the game and force overtime, instead falling 71-68.
 
Western will be back in action on Friday, December 1 when they take on the Laurentian Voyageurs at Alumni Hall at 11am.