“It’s raining threes, and Quinton Gray is the weatherman!”

That was the emphatic call by the announcer over the PA after Gray poured in his sixth three-pointer of the game. And that was only at the end of the second quarter. 

Gray would finish the game with 40 points on the strength of 12 made threes on 19 attempts, good for a gaudy 63 per cent three-point percentage.

Algoma started the game strong, leading Queen’s by a bucket at the end of the first frame, 19-17.

The Gaels turned it on in the second, outscoring the Thunderbirds 28-10, with 16 of those points coming from Gray.

The Thunderbirds were visibly disenchanted as the game got away from them—even after a three-pointer by Nicholas Gehlen that brought the Thunderbirds to within eight and caused a Queen’s timeout, the bench could hardly muster a reaction.

The quarter ended with the score 45-29 in Queen’s favour.

The halftime show was a great production, as the band marched through the gym and highland dancers and cheerleaders took turns entertaining the crowd.

They were performing on the backdrop of the newly-hung provincial championship banners belonging to the men’s and women’s rugby teams, as well as the national championship banner won by the women’s cross country team. The teams were all honoured in a ceremony that also took place at halftime.

The teams traded points throughout the second half, but the lead the Gaels created in the second quarter was too much to surmount—the Thunderbirds were kept a respectful 20 points away.

A thunderous steal-and-slam by rookie Cole Syllas at the beginning of the fourth quarter must have ended any notion of a late-game comeback by the visitors. A final bricked three by the Thunderbirds, and the game ended 89-62. 

With his effort in the win, Gray now leads the OUA with 40 made three-pointers. He’s also only the third Gael in Queen’s history to score more than 40 points in a game.

The Gaels have a real difficult stretch of games coming up—their next three opponents (Ottawa, Carleton, and McMaster) are ranked fourth, first, and seventh in the nation, respectively. 

Queen’s didn’t beat Carleton once last decade, although they did eke out a couple wins over Ottawa, and they’ve won two in a row against McMaster. All of these games are on the road, so the Gaels are hoping the forecast calls for Gray’s hot streak to continue.