WEEKEND RECAP: Ottawa splits weekend with loss to #4 Queen’s, dominant win over Ontario Tech  

The Gee-Gees women's basketball team returned to action for their first games of the 2024 calendar year. Splitting the weekend with a 70-61 loss to #4 Queen's on Friday at Montpetit Hall, before earning an 88-62 win over Ontario Tech on Saturday afternoon.

On Friday, Ottawa fell behind in the second quarter and were unable to rally to take down the Gaels. While the teams were near even shooting from the field and Ottawa outshot Queen's from three, the Gaels play in the paint saw them outscore the Gee-Gees 40-20 inside. 

Allie McCarthy led the way for Ottawa with 17 points, seven rebounds, and two assists, going three-for-three shooting beyond the arc. Melina De Iulio also added eight points and 10 rebounds on the evening. 

Against Ontario Tech, the Gee-Gees were able to rally from a slow start to log dominant second and third quarter performances to secure a 26-point win. In the win, Ottawa shot 45.3% from the field and 43.8% from three, while outrebounding the Ridgebacks 50-25. 

De Iulio had the hot hand for Ottawa with a 21-point effort. McCarthy once again logged 17 points to go along with six rebounds. Ariane Saumure also logged an eye-popping 12 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists in the win.

At the end of the weekend, Ottawa's record sits at 10-2, good for second place in the OUA East behind Carleton (11-1) and ahead of Queen's (9-2).

What They're Saying: 

"The start of the year was tough, so it's nice that everyone is starting to get into their rhythm, I think if we keep improving, we can be really successful this year." – Gee-Gees wing Allie McCarthy. 

"Overall, I'm a bit disappointed because this weekend just shows that we're too inconsistent. I thought we could do better against Queen's, I'm excited to see them again at the end of the season, but we need to make sure that we use these next games to build on our consistency." – Ottawa head coach Rose-Anne Joly.

Up Next:

The Gee-Gees will host division foes Laurentian (4-7) and Nipissing (2-9) next Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. and 2 p.m. respectively. Tickets for both games are on sale at tickets.geegees.ca and both games will stream live on OUA.tv