QUEBEC CITY -- Alex Kiss-Rusk posted game-highs with 22 points and nine rebounds as No.3 McGill rallied from a 10-point deficit to upend sixth-ranked Laval 50-47 in RSEQ women's basketball at the Amphithéâtre-gymnase Desjardins in the provincial capital, Saturday.

It was also McGill's 20th straight win over the Rouge et Or as the Martlets improved their record to 5-1 in the RSEQ conference. They have now won 31 of their last 34 contests against RSEQ opponents, dating back two seasons. The result puts McGill two points behind RSEQ leader and cross town rivial UQAM with two games in hand.

Rusk, a 6-foot-4 pyschology junior from Beaconsfield, Que., went a stellar 8-for-10 from the floor. She was also good at the line going 6-for-10 and added nine rebounds, two assists and one steal.
 
Jennifer Silver, a 5-foot-11 forward from Montreal, Que., was the only other Martlet to reach double-digits in scoring. The third year pre-med student was taking the starting place of All-Canadian Mariam Sylla who was kept out of the lineup with an unspecified injury and did not disappoint. Silver had 12 points on 6 of 14 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot.

Laval came out of the gate strong, scoring 13 points and limiting McGill to just six points in the opening quarter. The Martlets managed to crawl back and cut the deficit to 24-20 at halftime. The Rouge et Or continued to put a scare into McGill after the break outscoring them 16-14 in the third quarter and leading by as much as 10. It wasn't until the final frame where McGill increased their intensity on defence holding Laval to just seven points to help sneak out a victory. 

Rounding out the scoring for McGill was Marie-Love Michel (7 pts), Marika Guerin (6) and Dianna Ros (3)

The only members of the Rouge et Or to reach double figures in scoring were Raphaelle Cote and Justine Guay-Bilodeau, with 17 and 10, respectively. 

The Martlets had a 39-27 advantage in rebounds, including an impressive 11-6 margin under the offensive boards. They also had a 17-13 edge in assists. 

It was a tough night shooting for both teams as McGill succeeded on only 32.8 per cent from the field (20/61) and went 3-for-15 from three-point range, while Laval shot 29.6 per cent from the floor (16/54) and went 5-for-24 from beyond the arc. 

The Martlets (5-1) will now get four days to prepare for a home-and-home series against the fourth-place Concordia Stingers (2-6), who may very well cross paths with McGill in post-season play. They will start on the road with tip-off set for 6.p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21, at the Concordia Gym.
 
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