Box Score
MONTREAL – Co-captain Vincent Dufort scored a game-high 27 points and Francois Bourque registered a "double-double" as the No.6-ranked McGill Redmen basketball squad used a dominant second-half performance to defeat Laval 88-69 at Love Competition Hall, Thursday.

The division-leading Redmen, who had a huge 46-31 edge in rebounding, improved to 5-0 in conference play, extending their win streak against RSEQ opponents to seven, dating back to last year. McGill has now won six straight games against the Rouge et Or since a 57-56 loss in Quebec City on Feb. 9, 2012
 
Dufort, a 6-foot-4 shooting-guard from Smiths Falls, Ont., also grabbed six rebounds and dished out a half-dozen assists. He went 9-for-23 from the floor, including a 3-for-4 performance from the three-point arc. He was also 6-for-8 from the charity stripe.

"Moving Vince from the 4 to the 3 spot was really successful tonight," said McGill head coach David DeAveiro. "(Laval) couldn't find a match-up for Vince at that position."
 
Bourque, a 6-foot-5 freshman forward from Terrebonne, Que., was equally if not more impressive. He poured in 23 points on a "lights-out" 11-for-14 shooting performance and collected a team-high 12 rebounds.
 
The Rouge et Or, who gave McGill their toughest test earlier this season in a 62-59 Redmen victory in the RSEQ season opener, came out firing and quickly opened up a seven-point lead en route to a 21-16 advantage heading into the second quarter.

However, Dufort & Company methodically battled back and finally took their first lead at 42-40, when Dufort hit a jumper with 49 seconds remaining before intermission. The Redmen never trailed after that.
 
"Laval played well in the first half," noted DeAveiro. "Thirty of their 40 points were in the paint. Our goal in the second half was to give up no inside baskets."

His troops responded, holding Laval's 6-foot-9 Boris Hadzimuratovic and 6-foot-6 Antoine Beaumier to only four and two points, respectively, in the second half after both reach double-digits in the opening half. Hadzimuratovic finished with 16 points, while Beaumier ended up with a dozen.
 
With Laval's lack of an inside presence, McGill dominated the second half, outscoring Laval 46-29, which included a 67-54 lead at the third-quarter mark.

McGill shot 46.8 per cent from the field (36/77), went 6-for-13 from three-point land and 10-of-14 from the line (71.4%). After shooting a sizzling 51.6 field goal percentage in the first half, the Rouge et Or cooled off to finish at 37.9 . They were only 2-for-15 from three-point range.
 
Nathan Joyal, a junior from St. Lazare, Que., continued his hot hand, scoring 15 points for the Redmen. He knocked down 6-of-9 field goal attempts, including three treys.

Freshman Dele Ogundokun of Hamilton, Ont., contributed seven points, nine rebounds, five assists, a pair of blocks and one steal. 

Ave Bross, a third-year point-guard from Toronto, filled in admirably for absent co-captain Simon Bibeau, dishing out a half-dozen assists to just one turnover. Bibeau, an investment management senior who is expecting to graduate this spring, was in New York City for a number of job interviews.
 
Leading the way for the Rouge et Or was Karl Demers-Belanger with 16 points, on 3-of-18 shooting. He was 2-for-9 from three-point range and made eight of nine from the foul-line.
 
Laval, which dropped to 1-4, returns to Quebec City to take on the Redmen (5-0) in Saturday's home-and-home rematch at the Centre PEPS.

"(It) is going to be two tired teams," prognosticated DeAveiro "The basketball isn't going to be real pretty. The difference will be our mental toughness and not showing them we are tired."

McGill is now 15-47 in the last 62 meetings with Laval. Last year, McGill claimed all four meetings, their first sweep over the Rouge et Or since 1995-96.

REDMEN RAP: A memorial service will be held on Saturday (Jan. 11) at 3 p.m. for former Redmen assistant coach Bill MacArthur, who died suddenly of a heart attack on New Year's day at his home in Morin Heights. He was 62. MacArthur served as an assistant to McGill head coach Craig Norman from 2004 to 2010 and was a tireless worker and recruiter for the Redmen. A physical education teacher at Vanier College, he was involved in the Montreal basketball community as a player, coach and teacher for over 40 years. The service will be held at the Vanier College sports complex, 821 Boul. Ste. Croix, St. Laurent, Que.
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SOURCE:

Ryne Bondy / Earl Zukerman
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