The women’s basketball team is riding high.

Over the weekend, the Gaels picked up their third and fourth straight wins against the Laurier Golden Hawks and Waterloo Warriors at home. They’ve won each of their last four games by a margin of 12 points or more, proving they deserve the second seed in the OUA East.

On Friday, the Gaels (6-1) took on Laurier (2-6). While the Golden Hawks kept the score close for the majority of the game, the Gaels’ excellent shooting overwhelmed their opponents, especially from the beyond the arc. Queen’s finished 7-18 from three-point range and won 86-74.

“We figured Laurier was going to be a really tough team, and they were,” Head Coach Dave Wilson said. “We got off to a pretty good start in that game […] we shot the ball exceptionally well and put up a good number of points in the first quarter.”

However, Wilson noted his team’s shaky defense let Laurier stay in the game.

“We struggled a bit with our defence. [W]e were shooting the ball well, but we weren’t defending well, and that was the biggest concern we had.”

Despite the defense, Wilson was proud of his team’s ability to close out the game.

“We took control in the fourth, we ran [the score] back up, and coasted in the end.”

On Saturday, the Gaels faced Waterloo (1-7). While the game was tight early on with both teams trading baskets, Queen’s shot incredibly well and finished the game 10-27 from three-point range, securing a final score of 76-52 in their favour.

“Waterloo is a young team, and they came out very well,” Wilson said of the Warriors, who’ve won once this season. “They do some really good things, but they lack a bit of experience.”

Similar to Friday’s game, Wilson said his team’s defense needs improvement.

“Our defense just isn’t where we need it to be,” he said.

Still, the Gaels head coach praised his team for their unrivaled scoring ability, much of which has come off the hands of fifth-year Marieanne Alarie. On Friday, Alarie dropped three three-pointers and landed five more on Saturday. She currently leads the OUA with 22.7 points per game.

As a team, the Gaels hit 17 three-pointers over the weekend.

“Overall on the weekend, we shot the ball well. This is a nice little trend we’ve got going right now. It’s something we have been working on over the summer [and] so far, that’s gone well.”

After their successful string of wins at home, the Gaels will take to the road to play five consecutive away games. In their lone game this week, the Gaels will be back in action against the Lakehead Thunderwolves (5-1) in Thunder Bay on Friday.