Western Falls to Queen's 67–94 in Friday Night Road Matchup
KINGSTON, ON – The Western Mustangs men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season on Friday evening, falling 67–94 to the Queen's Gaels at the Queen's Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) Main Gym. Despite a team-high 20 points from Andres Garcia and a strong fourth-quarter shooting performance from Caleb Parrotta, the Mustangs struggled to contain a balanced Queen's offence that built a 21-point halftime lead and maintained control throughout the second half.
Western entered the contest having won its first three games of the season, but Queen's used its three-point shooting, rebounding advantage and bench production to hand the Mustangs their first defeat.
First Quarter
Both teams opened the game with strong defensive pressure, as neither side managed to score in the opening minute. Lucas Sheets eventually broke the deadlock with a layup off an assist from Garcia, giving Western an early 2–0 advantage.
The Mustangs kept pace with the Gaels in the opening minutes, with Garcia scoring inside and Tye Cotie adding a layup to tie the game at 6–6. Queen's responded through Ashton Bain and Deng Majak, establishing a narrow lead before Tyson Lama connected from beyond the arc to put the Gaels ahead 12–6.
Garcia provided an immediate answer, knocking down a three-pointer before finishing a fast-break layup to bring Western within one at 12–11. However, Queen's began finding its rhythm offensively, with Majak converting inside and Noah Khaja adding a three-pointer to extend the advantage.
A late three from Sami Uraz pushed Queen's lead to 23–13, but Cotie grabbed an offensive rebound and converted a tip-in at the buzzer to bring Western within seven. The Mustangs entered the second quarter trailing 23–16.
Second Quarter
Queen's continued to build momentum early in the second quarter, with Lama scoring inside before Khaja connected on a three-pointer to extend the lead to 28–18.
Western looked to respond through Sheets, who converted a fast-break layup off a Garcia assist before knocking down a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 35–23 midway through the period.
The Gaels maintained their offensive pressure, however, using their rebounding advantage to create additional scoring opportunities. A three-pointer from Caeden Smith and a fast-break layup from Jakub Dobiech pushed Queen's ahead 42–25 with just over three minutes remaining.
Garcia continued to provide offence for Western, scoring a layup and a late jumper, but Queen's answered with timely perimeter shooting. Mateo Andjelic connected from beyond the arc before Dobiech buried another three-pointer in the final seconds of the half.
The Gaels outscored Western 26–12 in the second quarter, taking a commanding 49–28 lead into halftime. Queen's connected on nine three-pointers in the opening half, while the Mustangs were limited to just two.
Third Quarter
The Gaels carried their momentum into the second half, opening the third quarter with an and-one from Majak before Uraz added a layup to extend the advantage to 54–28.
Garcia attempted to spark a Western response, converting a jumper before assisting Milan John on a three-pointer that brought the score to 56–33. Garcia later connected from beyond the arc and added another jumper, but Queen's continued to answer at the other end.
The Gaels' offensive depth proved difficult to contain, with Lama, Inder Brar and Dobiech all contributing during an extended scoring stretch. A three-pointer from Dobiech and two free throws shortly afterward pushed Queen's lead to a game-high 33 points at 71–38 with 3:37 remaining.
Western continued to compete despite the deficit. Sheets converted a layup through contact and completed the three-point play, while Parrotta came off the bench to knock down a three-pointer late in the quarter.
Garcia added a fast-break layup in the closing seconds, but Queen's maintained a 73–48 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Western opened the final quarter with Cotie converting two free throws, but Queen's quickly responded with a three-pointer from Uraz and a three-point play from Dobiech to extend its lead.
The Gaels pushed their advantage back to 33 points following a dunk from Majak with just under seven minutes remaining.
Parrotta then provided a late offensive spark for the Mustangs. After knocking down a three-pointer, he followed with a jumper before Kennedy Charles connected from beyond the arc to bring Western within 25 points.
Parrotta continued his strong shooting performance, adding another three-pointer to cut the deficit to 83–61 with 4:30 remaining. He later connected on his fourth three-pointer of the game, while Charles added another from long range in the final minute.
Western finished the fourth quarter shooting 5-for-8 from beyond the arc, with Parrotta and Charles accounting for all five makes. However, Queen's maintained its comfortable advantage and closed out the 94–67 victory.
The Gaels' offensive balance and rebounding advantage proved decisive. Queen's shot 45.3% from the field and connected on 14 three-pointers, compared to Western's 35.7% shooting and 10 made threes. The Gaels also outrebounded the Mustangs 45–31 and held a 46–23 advantage in bench scoring.
Top Performers
Andres Garcia led Western with 20 points on an efficient 9-for-14 shooting, including 2-for-4 from three-point range, while adding a team-high 5 assists.
Caleb Parrotta provided a strong performance off the bench, finishing with 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, along with 4 rebounds and 1 assist.
Lucas Sheets contributed 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting, adding 1 rebound and 2 steals.
Tye Cotie finished with 8 points and 4 rebounds, providing an early offensive presence for the Mustangs.
Kennedy Charles added 6 points, connecting on both of his three-point attempts in the fourth quarter.
For Queen's, Jakub Dobiech led all scorers with 21 points off the bench, while Deng Majak contributed 15 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. Sami Uraz and Noah Khaja each added 11 points, helping the Gaels secure the home victory.
Western will look to regroup following its first defeat of the season, with Friday's contest highlighting the importance of defensive consistency and rebounding against a Queen's team that capitalized on its opportunities throughout the evening.
