Three Queen’s Gaels teams booked their spots to national championship tournaments over the weekend.

Leading the way was the men’s basketball team who captured the OUA title with a last-second Wilson Cup-winning shot by Cole Syllas for a 79-76 scoreline against the visiting Brock Badgers.

The win marked the Gaels' first OUA Men's Basketball championship in more than 50 years.

Queen's never led until the very end, clawing back from an 11-0 deficit to start the game and a 14-point deficit midway through the second quarter, to tie the game heading into the final possession. Gaels star Cole Syllas held the ball and launched a three-pointer as time expired, with the ball banking in for the incredible win. 

The capacity crowd at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) stormed the court to celebrate the championship win with the team.

Syllas was named the Player of the Game in the win, finishing with a game-high 29 points, powered off six three-pointers, while adding six rebounds and five assists.

Cole’s brother Luka also had a monster performance for Queen's, finishing with 15 points and five rebounds. Michael Kelvin recorded a double-double, with 13 points and 10 rebounds. 

The Gaels travel to Laval, Que. for the U SPORTS Men's Basketball Championship, where they will open against the Winnipeg Wesmen on Friday, March 8 at 3 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

The Gaels women's basketball team reached the OUA Critelli Cup Championship but couldn’t get past the Carleton Ravens, falling 63-55 Saturday in Ottawa, to claim the OUA silver medal.

Queen's fell behind in the first half and trailed by 18 points at half time. However, they mounted a big second half comeback, which ultimately fell short in the eight-point loss. The Gaels cut the Ravens' lead to as little three points in the fourth quarter.

Laura Donovan led all Gaels players with 18 points while OUA Defensive Player of the Year Julia Chadwick finished with a huge double-double, recording 14 points and 17 rebounds.

With the silver medal, the Gaels booked their ticket to the U SPORTS Women's Basketball Championship in Edmonton next weekend. They face the St. Mary’s University Huskies in the opening round on Thursday, March 7 at 4:30 p.m.

Men’s Volleyball

The Gaels men’s volleyball team is heading to the OUA Forsyth Cup. 

The Gaels advanced to the championship game with a 3-1 (25-27, 25-17, 27-25, 25-20) win over the Brock Badgers in the OUA semifinals Friday in front of a packed Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC).

The first three sets were all close, with Queen's dropping the first before edging Brock in the second and third set to take a 2-1 lead. The Gaels finished the win with a very strong fourth set, taking it by five points.

Erik Siksna led the Gaels offensively with team-high 17 kills while also adding seven digs. Zig Licis also had a strong game, finishing with 15 kills and a game-high three aces. Dax Thompkins recorded a game-high nine blocks on the defensive side while Chris Zimmerman finished with 40 assists for the Gaels.

The Gaels will travel to Hamilton on Friday, March 8 to take on the McMaster Marauders for the provincial title. The game starts at 7 p.m.

Women’s Volleyball

The Gaels women's volleyball team lost to the McMaster Marauders 3-1 (32-34, 25-22, 25-19, 25-19) in the OUA Quigley Cup semifinals Friday at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC).

With the loss, the Gaels season ended with the team finishing as conference semifinalists.

Queen's started the match with a hard-fought first set win, prevailing 34-32. The Marauders would respond and take the next three sets for the 3-1 victory.

Hannah Duchesneau led the Gaels offensively with 16 kills while adding 12 digs and one ace. Amanda Siksna had a strong performance for Queen's as well, finishing with five blocks and three aces, and Shea Baker led all players with 43 digs.

“I'm extremely proud of the team,” head coach Ryan Ratushniak said after the game. “They work hard. It's so hard to be a student-athlete at this level, the amount of time you put into your studies and your sport. I'm extremely proud of how hard they work every year, and how they represented our team, our Athletics & Recreation department, and university.”