Box Score
MONTREAL -- Freshman Symone Simmons of Westerville, OH, scored 21 points as the visiting Wright State Raiders earned a 81-59 victory over McGill University in a women's preseason college hoops matchup between NCAA and CIS teams at Love Competition Hall, Sunday.

It was the 94th season opener for the defending RSEQ conference champion Martlets and the result dropped McGill's record to 1-4 in their last five confrontations against NCAA Div. 1 teams, dating back to 2012. The Raiders, who hail from Dayton, Ohio, improved to 3-0 on their three-game, six-day trip to Montreal. Wright State defeated Montreal-based CEGEP all-star squad 83-72 at Champlain College in St. Lambert, Que., on Aug. 4, followed by a 87-69 conquest over the visiting Ottawa Gee-Gees (Aug. 6).

McGill was missing all-Canadian forward Mariam Sylla, a 6-foot-1 senior, from their lineup.

Junior Jennifer Silver led the way for the Martlets with 19 points in 25 minutes of court time. The 5-foot-11 forward from Montreal, Que., made eight of 20 shots from the floor and went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line. She added nine rebounds and one assist.

Teammate Alex Kiss-Rusk, a 6-foot-4 centre from Beaconsfield, Que., also impressed recording a "double-double" with 10 points and 16 rebounds. She struggled from the field, shooting 5-for-17 but was a dominant force beneath the hoop with five blocked shots. Fifth-year senior Gabriela Hebert was the only other Martlet to reach double-digit figures tailing 12 points off the bench. The native of Trois-Rivieres, Que., was an efficient 5-for-8 from the floor, including a 2-for-3 performance from downtown.

Simmons was one of three Wright State players to reach double figures in scoring. She was joined by senior guard Kim Demmings (18 pts) and junior centre Richelle van der Keijl (12). The Raiders also got some help from Mackenzie Taylor and Antania Hayes who scored nine and eight points, respectively.

Wright State led 17-12 after the opening quarter and took a 36-24 lead into halftime. The Martlets came out gunning in the third quarter and closed the gap to eight until the Raiders put their foot back on the gas in the final frame, outscoring McGill 25-14.

"We were rusty," said Martlet bench boss Ryan Thorne, whose troops had only a week of full practices before playing their first game. "Granted we were trying to work in some new pieces but I don't think our effort was there. That was the most disappointing thing. I think even when there is rust we should still be able to work hard and give that championship effort."
 
The Raiders shot 37.3 per cent over the game and made one-third of their long range bombs (9/27). McGill connected on just 30.8 per cent from the floor and hit only 3-of-11 attempts from behind the three-point line. Wright State converted 10-of-20 at the free-throw line while McGill went 8-for-12. The Martlets held a 48-43 difference in rebounds but Wright State dominated in all other departments with 17-6 margin in steals and a 9-5 edge in blocked shots. McGill also committed 29 turnovers to the Raiders 21.

McGill (0-1), which is looking to improve on their silver medal finish at the CIS Final Eight championship last spring, also has three other NCAA squads on their home schedule, which includes the Xavier University Muskateers (Aug. 11), the Maryville University Saints (Aug .12) and the Ohio University Bobcats (Aug.17).
 
Tuesday's game against Xavier is slated to be streamed live on McGill's new Stretch internet TV portal, beginning at 6:30 p.m. It will be followed by the McGill Redmen home webcast against Valparaiso at 8:30 p.m.


FOR MORE INFO PLEASE CONTACT:
Ryne Bondy or Earl Zukerman
Sports Info Office
McGill University
514-398-7012