The Waterloo Warriors faced the Queen's Gaels in a high intensity Friday evening match up at home. Despite a valiant effort, the Warriors fell 50-43 in a tightly contested game that showcased their resilience and defensive prowess.

The Warriors opened the game with a strong start. A crucial offensive rebound by Charissa Virr (Burford, ON) set up Jaimesen Newell (Brussels, ON) to drain the opening points of the game. Moments later, a steal at center court by Yemi Oladipo (St. Catharines, ON) led to a fast break layup, giving Waterloo an early 4-2 advantage. However, Queen's responded with a three pointer and surged to a 12-4 lead, forcing a Waterloo timeout. Nehita Oko-Oboh (Ottawa, ON) brought the Warriors back into the fight, scoring off a layup to stem the tide, but the first quarter ended 16-9 in favor of the Gaels.

In the second quarter, Nehita Oko-Oboh (Ottawa, ON) kept the Warriors in contention with back to back layups, narrowing the gap to 16-13. Jaimesen Newell (Brussels, ON) added a mid range jumper to further build momentum, but the Gaels' offense remained formidable. Both teams battled fiercely for rebounds, with Queen's ultimately extending their lead to 29-17 by halftime.

The Warriors came out strong in the third quarter, making key defensive stops and forcing a shot clock violation. Yemi Oladipo (St. Catharines, ON) energized the crowd with a clutch three pointer late in the quarter, trimming the Gaels' lead to 41-34 and putting the game within reach.

The fourth quarter saw the Warriors fighting relentlessly. Their defensive tenacity forced another shot clock violation and kept the Gaels' offense in check. In the final minutes remaining, Jaimesen Newell (Brussels, ON) brought the Warriors within three points with layup consistency. However, the Gaels responded under pressure and maintained their edge in the final moments to seal the 50-43 victory.

The Warriors will aim to bounce back tomorrow when they take on the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks at 6:00 p.m. again at home.