Box Score
MONTREAL -- Mariam Sylla scored a game-high 18 points and Helene Bibeau added 17 as the No.6-ranked McGill women's basketball team waltzed to a 52-34 victory over visiting Laval at Love Competition Hall, Thursday.

Dating back to last year, McGill has now won a dozen consecutive contests against  RSEQ opponents. The result marked the Martlets 10th straight conquest over their provincial rivals, since a 74-68 setback in Montreal on Nov. 12, 2011. It was also the team's ninth straight decision over a CIS opponent this season.

Sylla, a 6-foot-1 sophomore centre who led the Martlets with nine rebounds and enjoyed a game-high 31 minutes of court time, shot 6-for-17 from the field and went a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul-line. She leads the RSEQ conference in scoring with 60 points in five games, for an average of 12.0 points per game.

Bibeau, a fifth-year forward from St. Bruno, Que., made six of nine attempts from the floor, including a stellar 5-for-6 effort from three-point range. She also pulled down four rebounds and blocked a game-high three shots.

Laval led 2-0 and 5-3 early on but never led again the rest of the way as McGill held a slight 12-11 edge after the opening quarter. They extended that to 24-16 at the half and had a 36-25 advantage after three stanzas.

Veronique Fortin-Tremblay, who tallied 10 points off the bench, was the only Rouge et Or player to reach double figures in scoring.

The Martlets had an impressive 46-33 advantage in rebounds, had a 9-6 edge in steals, a 6-3 difference in rebounds and converted 28 Laval turnovers into 21 points.

McGill shot 31.6 per cent from the field (18/57), went an impressive 6-for-12 from the arc and sank 10 of 12 from the line (83.3%). Laval shot a paltry 23.6 per cent from the floor (13/55), went 4-for-9 from beyond the arc and made only four of 10 attempts from the line.

Rounding out the scoring for McGill was Marie-Pier Bastrash (6 pts), Dianna Ross 94), Francoise Charest (2), Jennifer Silver (2), Valerie L'Ecuyer (2) and Carolan Cloutier (10.

The Rouge et Or, who sit fourth in the five-team RSEQ conference with an uncharacteristic 1-4 record, will host McGill (5-0) on Friday (Jan. 10) in Quebec City. Tip-off is slated for 6 pm and the game will be webcast on Rouge et Or TV.


SOURCE:

Earl Zukerman
McGill Sports Info Office
514-398-7012