Box Score The McMaster women's basketball team lost just its second game of the season on Saturday, as they fell 70-68 to the 5th-ranked Queen's Gaels. Trailing for most of the game top-ranked McMaster made a strong fourth quarter push but was unable to complete the comeback.
 
Mac opened the game on a 7-0 run, but Queen's responded well with an 8-2 run of their own, and by the end of the first quarter McMaster trailed 16-13.
 
Queens's started the second quarter hot, and was able to extend their lead to eight. However, after Teresa Burns called a timeout the Marauders responded and cut the deficit to just one.   The Gaels then finished the quarter on an 8-2 run and Mac went into halftime trailing 32-25. Linnaea Harper scored all seven of her first half points in the second quarter and was Mac's leading scorer heading into the break.
 
Both teams came out of the intermission aggressively. They traded baskets all quarter but the Gaels came out with the edge, managing to extend their lead to 11 going into the final quarter, leading 56-45.
 
In the fourth quarter, a strong 9-3 push in the Marauders' favour had them down by just six with a little under six minutes remaining in the game.
 
With three minutes left, Danielle Boiago knocked down a shot that cut the Gaels' lead to a single point. The McMaster crowd was riveted, as the two team traded buckets for the next two minutes.
 
Down 69-68 with eight seconds left, McMaster had an open look to take the lead but couldn't get the shot to go. The Gaels' Abby Dixon was fouled with two seconds remaining in the game. She knocked down one of two free throws to secure the victory for the Gaels.
 
The Marauders are now 11-2 on the season with six games remaining before the playoffs.
 
Linnaea Harper led the Marauders in scoring with 19 points. Clare Kenney chipped in 15 points with ten boards, and Boiago added 11 points, ten rebounds and six assists. The Gaels blocked the passing lanes well, getting 15 steals on the game, and contributing to 23 McMaster turnovers.
 
The Marauders will head to Toronto next as they face Ryerson on Wednesday at 6-pm.
 
The game can be streamed at oua.tv and is on radio on CFMU 93.3FM.
 
By Jonah Tuck