Box Score
MONTREAL – Freshman Mariam Sylla scored nine points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds as the top-seeded McGill women's basketball team survived a scare and escaped with a 54-47 decision over the visiting Laval Rouge et Or in an RSEQ sudden-death semifinal before a crowd of 310 at Love Competition Hall, Wednesday.

GAME STATS: http://www.sportetudiant-stats.com/universitaire/basketball-f/stats/1213/sf01.htm

The Martlets advance to the league championship game for the second straight year.
 
Sylla, a native of Guinea who was feted in a post-game ceremony with the RSEQ rookie of the year award in addition to earning all-star honours, shot only 3-for-13 from the field but went 3-for-5 from the line.
 
Marie-Pier Bastrash, another rookie, led the Martlets with 10 points and grabbed five rebounds. She went 2-for-4 from the three-point arc and 2-for-2 from the line. Three other Martlets came within one basket of reaching double figures as point-guard Dianna Ros scored nine points while teammates Anneth Him-Lazarenko and Francoise Charest added eight apiece.
 
Elyse Jobin and Gabrielle Girard each tallied 11 points to lead the Rouge et Or.
 
McGill, which had a 41-31 margin in rebounding, never trailed in the game. They led 14-12 after the first quarter and 30-20 at the half. But the Rouge et Or came out with a different look after intermission, outscoring the Martlets 19-11 in the third stanza and closed the gap to 41-39 after three quarters. Laval actually tied the score at 41-41 early in the final stanza but were slayed by a trio of treys in the final minutes, coming from team captain Francoise Charest, point-guard Dianna Ros and forward Gabriela Hebert, which effectively snuffed out any hope for a Laval comeback,
 
Hebert hit her three with 59 seconds remaining just after Laval had narrowed the gap to 51-47.
 
“It wasn't pretty but at this stage (in the playoffs), all you're looking for is the W,” said McGill head coach Ryan Thorne. “But we fought, we struggled and we pulled it out in the end. Gabriella had a huge three. That's just the confidence she has in her own game. She took the shot and that was the difference right there.”

McGill's shooting game struggled as they connected on only 27.7 per cent from the field (18/65) but went 6-for-17 from the arc and 12-for-16 from the line.

“That reminds me of the way we were at the beginning of the year,” explained Thorne. “Out of sync, taking rushed shots, going too deep on the shot clock and making bad decisions. However, some of those were also shots going up and there appeared to be contact (on our shooters) but we didn't get those calls in our favour. It was a more physical game than usual but we didn't go to the free-throw line as much (as we expected to).”  

Laval shot 34.5 and 31.3, respectively, but only connected on 36.4 per cent of their freebies (4-for-11).
 
The RSEQ final is a winner-take-all affair, set for a 2 p.m. tip-off on Saturday at Love Competition Hall, against second-place Concordia, which won their semifinal 65-62 over third-seeded UQAM. The cross-town rivals split their four-game season series but McGill outscored the Stingers 264-233. At home, McGill won 75-44 and lost 71-66.

There is no CIS regional tourney this year. A victory would send the Martlets directly to the CIS Final Eight championship for the second straight year after ending a 16-year drought last spring. The CIS tourney is scheduled to be held in Regina, March 15-17.

Advance tickets are on sale at the Redbird Sports Shop, located in the McGill Sports Centre. The cost is the same as a regular-season game: $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors. Children 12 and under are admitted free. Anyone who buys a ticket to the women's final will also gain admission to the men's final at 5 p.m., between Bishop's and McGill. It will mark the first time in hoops history that McGill has hosted both the men's and women's championship games.
 
MARTLET MURMURS: Joining Sylla on the first all-star team was fifth-year senior Anneth Him-Lazarenko, while Charest earned second team honours and Bastrash was named to the all-rookie squad, along with Sylla… Other RSEQ major awards went to Concordia's Kaylah Barrett (player of the year), Laval's Marie-Pascale Nadeau (most outstanding defensive player), UQAM's Camille Michaud (leadership & citizenship), Concordia's Keith Pruden (coach of the year) and referee Eric Brouillard, who was voted official of the year. The complete all-star teams are posted online at:
http://www.mcgillathletics.ca/news/2013/2/27/WBB_0227133709.aspx
 

SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman,
McGill Sports info Office
(514) 398-7012
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca

Newspaper Box Score
(02/27/13 18h00 at Love Competition Hall)

MCGILL 54, LAVAL 47

LAVAL
Elyse Jobin 4-13 0-0 11; Gabrielle Girard 5-10 1-2 11; Marie-Pascale Nadeau
4-9 0-0 8; Marie-Eve Caouette 3-6 0-0 8; Melodie Laniel-Dion 1-4 2-2 4;
Justine Guay-Bilod. 1-1 0-0 2; Jannie Jacques 1-2 0-1 2; Rachel
Blouin-Brochu 0-2 1-4 1; Josianne L-Jalbert 0-1 0-0 0; Catherine A-Cote 0-0
0-0 0; Marjorie Ferland 0-7 0-2 0. Totals 19-55 4-11 47.

MCGILL
Marie-Pier Bastrash 3-11 2-2 10; Mariam Sylla 3-13 3-5 9; Dianna Ros 3-11
2-3 9; Francoise Charest 3-8 1-1 8; Anneth Him-Lazarenko 3-11 2-3 8; Arianne Duchesne 1-3 2-2 4; Gabriela Hebert 1-4 0-0 3; Helene Bibeau 1-4 0-0 3;
Valerie L'Ecuyer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-65 12-16 54.

LAVAL.........................   12    8   19    8  -   47
MCGILL........................   14   16   11   13  -   54

3-point goals--LAVAL 5-16 (Elyse Jobin 3-6; Marie-Eve Caouette 2-4; Melodie
Laniel-Dion 0-2; Rachel Blouin-Brochu 0-1; Marjorie Ferland 0-2; Gabrielle
Girard 0-1), MCGILL 6-17 (Marie-Pier Bastrash 2-4; Francoise Charest 1-3;
Helene Bibeau 1-3; Dianna Ros 1-3; Gabriela Hebert 1-3; Arianne Duchesne
0-1). Fouled out--LAVAL-Gabrielle Girard, MCGILL-None. Rebounds--LAVAL 31
(Marie-Pascale Nadeau 7), MCGILL 41 (Mariam Sylla 10). Assists--LAVAL 2
(Marie-Pascale Nadeau 1; Gabrielle Girard 1), MCGILL 5 (Anneth Him-Lazarenko
1; Helene Bibeau 1; Francoise Charest 1; Dianna Ros 1; Mariam Sylla 1).
Total fouls--LAVAL 15, MCGILL 12. Technical fouls--LAVAL-None, MCGILL-None.