MONTREAL -- Noah Daoust and Michael Peterkin both came off the bench and tallied 16 points a piece as No. 2 ranked McGill defeated visiting Laval 69-58 in RSEQ men's basketball at Love Competition Hall, Thursday.
McGill improved to 13-2 in their last 15 confrontations with the Rouge et Or. It was a physical affair that featured 38 personal fouls and 32 trips to the charity stripe. When the dust settled, the Redmen found themselves in sole possession of first-place in the RSEQ conference with a 5-0 record two points up on second place UQAM, which tumbled to 4-3 after losing 74-61 to visiting Concordia.
"It was a grind it out type of game, " said McGill bench boss David DeAveiro. "We didn't shoot the ball well today. We weren't knocking down open shots or finishing around the hoop. Our bench and defence really came through for us and we found a way to win."
Daoust, a 6-foot-7, 233-pound sophomore from Dorval, Que., was an instant spark off the bench going 7-for-11 from the field and 2-for-2 from the foul line. He added four assists and three rebounds but was also impressive on the defensive side of the ledger with two swats and a pair of steals.
"Noah is probably one of the most skilled big guys you will see in the country," noted DeAveiro. "He can play inside but can also be a knockdown shooter from the perimeter."
Peterkin, a 6-foot-4 junior from Toronto, Ont., matched Daoust's 7-for-11 shooting performance while also adding two free throws. The economics major was one rebound shy of a "double-double", snagging nine off the glass to go along with two blocks and one steal in just 17 minutes of court time.
McGill got out of the gate quickly, taking a 24-15 lead after the first stanza. The next two quarters saw a strong Rouge et Or comeback effort who narrowed the gap to 46-45 heading into the final frame. This game was suddenly in doubt and within one possesion of a win by either side with as little as 90 seconds remaining. That is, until the Redmen closed it out with a 6-0 run.
Laval teammates Thibaud Dezutter and Karl Demers-Belanger were the only Rouge et Or players in double-digits, scoring 18 and 10, respectively.
The Redmen held an impressive 49-27 difference in rebounds, a 10-6 margin in steals and a 4-1 advantage in blocked shots. McGill shot 42.2 per cent from the floor (27/64), went a rough 3 of 21 from beyond the arc and drained 12 of 19 from the line. Laval shot 35 (21/60), went 11-for-24 from the arc and put away only five of 13 from the free-throw line.
The two teams will battle it out for a third time this season on Saturday at the Centre PEPS in Quebec City. The contest is slated to be webcast on Rouge et Or TV at 8 p.m.
FOR FURTHER INFO CONTACT:
Ryne Bondy or Earl Zukerman
McGill Sports Info Office
514-398-7012
