Western vs. No. 4 Queen's November 6, 2026 69–62
KINGSTON, ON – Down by 18 points midway through the third quarter, the Western Mustangs women's basketball team staged an impressive second-half comeback to defeat the nationally fourth-ranked Queen's Gaels 69–62 on Friday evening at the Queen's Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) Main Gym.
Led by a game-high 27 points from Sydney Cowan, Western outscored Queen's 40–19 in the second half to secure a statement road victory. The win also snapped a four-game losing streak against the Gaels, marking the Mustangs' first victory over Queen's since November 15, 2019. Western had fallen 102–72 in the teams' previous meeting last season.
First Quarter
The Mustangs came out strong against the nationally ranked Gaels, matching Queen's basket for basket in a competitive opening quarter. After Natalie Van Heeswyk put Western on the board with an early layup, Cowan connected from beyond the arc to give the Mustangs a 9–6 advantage.
Monique Monplaisir provided an immediate spark off the bench, knocking down a three-pointer before converting a fast-break layup to extend Western's lead to 14–11. Reese Burleigh followed with a three-pointer of her own, putting the Mustangs ahead 17–12 and forcing Queen's to call a timeout midway through the quarter.
The Gaels responded behind Katrina Renon, whose scoring helped erase Western's early advantage. With the teams trading leads in the final minutes, Cowan converted a layup with 10 seconds remaining to send the game into the second quarter tied at 23–23.
Second Quarter
Queen's began to take control in the second quarter, tightening its defence and limiting Western to just six points over the period.
After Nicole Daly briefly put the Mustangs ahead 24–23 from the free-throw line, the Gaels responded with a scoring run led by Renon and Haley Barbieri. Western struggled to find its offensive rhythm, shooting just 2-for-20 from the field as Queen's gradually extended its advantage.
A three-pointer from Renon pushed the Gaels' lead to 38–26 late in the quarter, before Ally Smith added another from beyond the arc. Queen's continued to capitalize on Western's scoring struggles, carrying a 43–29 lead into halftime after outscoring the Mustangs 20–6 in the second.
Third Quarter
The Mustangs faced an uphill battle to begin the second half as Queen's continued to build on its advantage. A layup from Renon with 5:48 remaining stretched the Gaels' lead to 51–33, their largest of the game.
Western refused to let the deficit grow any further.
Burleigh got the Mustangs going with a layup before Daly connected on a much-needed three-pointer and followed it with another basket, cutting the deficit to 53–40. Western's defensive pressure began to cause problems for Queen's, creating turnovers and opportunities in transition.
Isabella Cotton added a layup before Cowan knocked down a three-pointer to bring Western within eight. Cowan followed with a jumper, and Paris Alexander finished a fast-break layup with 13 seconds remaining to cap a 14–0 run to close the quarter.
What had been an 18-point deficit midway through the third was suddenly a four-point game. Western entered the final quarter trailing just 53–49, having held Queen's scoreless for the final 4:12 of the period.
Fourth Quarter
With momentum firmly on their side, the Mustangs continued to chip away at the deficit. Cowan opened Western's fourth-quarter scoring with a layup before adding another to bring the team within two points.
Burleigh then delivered one of the biggest plays of the night. After collecting an offensive rebound, she finished a layup through contact and converted the free throw to complete a three-point play, giving Western a 56–55 lead with 6:29 remaining — its first advantage since the opening moments of the second quarter.
The Mustangs kept pushing.
Daly found Monplaisir for an open fast-break layup, and Cowan followed with a difficult finish inside on the next Western possession, extending the lead to 60–55 with 5:38 remaining and forcing Queen's to call a timeout.
Burleigh added another basket before Monplaisir came up with a steal and converted an uncontested fast-break layup, giving Western a 64–55 advantage with 4:07 left. After trailing by as many as 18 points, the Mustangs had turned the game around to lead by nine.
Queen's continued to battle, with Barbieri scoring twice and Smith connecting on a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 68–62 with 2:48 remaining. However, Western's defence held firm, keeping the Gaels off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game.
Burleigh added a late free throw as the Mustangs completed the 69–62 comeback victory.
Western's defensive turnaround proved to be the difference. After allowing 43 points in the first half, the Mustangs held Queen's to just 19 in the second, including only nine in the fourth quarter. Western forced 27 turnovers, converting them into 30 points, while also holding advantages in bench scoring (22–10) and second-chance points (18–7).
Top Performers
Sydney Cowan led Western with a game-high 27 points on 11-for-27 shooting, adding 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block. She scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to help secure the victory.
Reese Burleigh provided a major boost off the bench with 11 points, a team-high 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block. Her three-point play in the fourth quarter gave Western the lead for good.
Monique Monplaisir finished with 9 points on 4-for-6 shooting, along with 2 rebounds and 2 steals, delivering several timely baskets throughout the contest.
Nicole Daly contributed 7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 block, including five points during Western's third-quarter comeback.
Paris Alexander added 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, helping fuel the Mustangs' transition offence.
For Queen's, Katrina Renon led the Gaels with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Ally Smith and Haley Barbieri each finished with 11 points.
The victory gives Western a significant early-season result against one of the country's top-ranked teams. After being held to just six points in the second quarter, the Mustangs responded with 40 in the second half, turning an 18-point deficit into a seven-point road victory.
