Queen's 60 vs. UPEI 77
(at Dalhousie Tournament)
By Dave Wilson

We finally settled a game that has been "hanging" for a whole year. If you recall, we played UPEI last year in Truro, NS - a game that ended in a 54 all tie. Due to time restrictions to catch our flight home, we were unable to play the overtime period. One year later, we played a "40 minute overtime" only to come away with a 17 point loss. We started the game reasonably well from an offensive perspective - players learning to read the defense and make appropriate choices that resulted in points. Defense, however, is still lacking - badly. We posted our first lead at a quarter - up 18-17 after one period. The second quarter saw little change - UPEI outscoring us 18-17 for a 35 all half time score. Erin Skippon (Kelowna, BC) grabbed 11 rebounds in the first half, while Alaina Porter (Burlington, ON) scored 9 points.

Without trying to sound like a broken record, our start to the second half was once again dismal - something we will be examining closely in the coming practices and games. The third and fourth quarters saw the game slowly slip away from us. Despite using a combination of zone and body defenses, we were unable to stop UPEI from attacking the rim. We were outscored 22-11 in the third and 20-14 in the fourth quarter. Porter finished with 17 points and was named the Q's player of the game, while Skippon grabbed a game (and career) high 16 boards.

Overall, we made improvements over the course of the weekend, including pressbreak, offensive execution, and to some extent rebounding. Certainly rebounding needs to continue to improve, as does our defensive transition and quarter court defense. Lots of work to do.