MONTREAL -- Jennifer Silver of Montreal recorded a "double-double" as McGill defeated Laurentian 59-44 to open the Redbird Classic women's basketball tournament, Friday, at Love Competition Hall.

The Martlets, who improved their preseason record to 8-1, had a massive 37-10 rebounding advantage, a 3-0 margin in blocks and an 8-7 edge in steals. Laurentian held an 18-16 difference in turnovers.

Silver, a 5-foot-11 senior in medical school, scored 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, with seven of them coming in the offensive zone. She shot 8-for-13 from the floor and 1-for-3 from the free-throw line, adding a blocked shot, one steal and one assist.

McGill led 12-10 after the opening quarter but the teams were knotted 25-25 at the half. The Martlets pulled ahead 41-36 after the third quarter and played a dominant 18-8 final frame.

Alex Kiss-Rusk, a psychology senior from Beaconsfield, Que., tallied eight points and added nine rebounds. The 6-foot-4 centre shot 3-for-7 from the field and was perfect on two shots from the charity stripe. She also had five assists and a block.

Marie-Love Michel, a 5-foot-9 winger from Montreal, scored 10 points and nabbed five rebounds. She shot 4-for-9 from the floor, sank both her free-throws, and stole two balls.

Psychology sophomore Fredericke Laflamme of Trois-Rivières, Que., netted nine points in just seven minutes of court time off the bench. She shot 3-for-5 from the field, including one of three chances from three-point range, and drained both of her free-throw attempts. She also collected a defensive rebound and had one assist.

Adriane Bruni led the Voyageurs with a dozen points and three rebounds, followed by teammate L'Ashante Henry with 11 points and one rebound.

McGill shot 42.1 per cent from the floor (24/57) but nailed just one of nine attempts from beyond the arc. They were 10-for-13 from the stripe. The Voyageurs shot 33.3 per cent from the field (16/48), including a 4-for-14 effort from downtown, and went just 8-for-17 from the line.

In the other tourney action on Friday, Waterloo defeated Dalhousie 67-53.

Laurentian (0-1) returns to the court against Waterloo (1-0) at 1 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 22). The Martlets (1-0) take on Dalhousie (0-1) at 5 p.m. All games take place at Love Competition Hall inside the Sir Arthur Currie Gym.

22nd ANNUAL McGILL REDBIRD BASKETBALL CLASSIC RESULTS

WOMEN"S SCHEDULE
Friday, Oct. 21, 2016
Waterloo 67, Dalhousie 53
McGill 59, Laurentian 44

Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016
1:00 pm  Laurentian vs. Waterloo
5:00 pm  Dalhousie vs. McGill

Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016
9:00 am  Dalhousie vs. Laurentian
1:00 pm  Waterloo vs. McGill



SOURCE:
Kirsten Whelan & Earl Zukerman
McGill Sports Info Office
(514) 398-7012