A basket by Sukhpreet Singh as time expired Saturday night gave the Queen’s Golden Gaels a 75-74 win over the Western Mustangs in an Ontario University Athletics men’s basketball game in London.

The score capped a brilliant comeback by the Gaels, who trailed the home team by 17 points, 20-3, at the end of the first quarter, a period where Queen’s didn’t score a single basket.

After a third quarter when Western would grow its lead to 24 points, that 17-point deficit was intact to start the fourth quarter when the Gaels went to work. In the first minute of the period Greg Faulkner scored, stole the ball and took it to the basket for another two points, cutting four points off the Mustangs’ lead in just 16 seconds.

A 15-6 run in the middle of the quarter lifted Queen’s to within four points of the lead.The outburst was fuelled by consecutive three-point baskets by Sammy Ayisi, Patrick Street and Mike Mullins. Another three-pointer from Street with less than a minute to play cut Western’s lead to 74-73, setting the stage for Singh’s heroics.

The Gaels won the game though they were out-rebounded 31-4 under the Western glass.

Street ended the game with 23 points and Faulkner added 22, as the Gaels improved to 5-9. Each scored eight points in Queen’s 28-point fourth quarter. Singh came off the bench to score 15.

Western, 9-6, got 20 points and nine rebounds from Anthony Spiridis and 17 points from Greg Morrow.

The Gaels resume play Saturday when they travel to Hamilton to face the No. 4-ranked McMaster Marauders.