QUEBEC CITY -- Rookie Geraldine Cabillo-Abante of St. Laurent, Que., scored a season-high 12 points as top-ranked McGill stretched their win streak to 11 with a 60-50 victory over the Laval Rouge et Or in RSEQ women's basketball at the Amphithéâtre Desjardins, Friday.

It was the 21st consecutive victory over Laval for the Martlets, who are No. 1 in the nation this week, for the first time in school history.

McGill led 16-6 after the first quarter, 35-21 at halftime and 49-34 after three. Though Laval mounted a late comeback attempt and outscored the visitors 16-11 in the final frame, they failed to close the double-digit gap.

Cabillo-Abante, a physical education freshman who started for the seventh time in the past eight games, shot 4-for-7 from the floor, including an impeccable 4-for-4 from three-point range. She also grabbed two rebounds, both in the defensive zone, and saw a team-high 33 minutes of court-time.

Mariam Sylla, a fourth-year pharmacology student from Guinea, tallied eight points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. Teammate Gladys Hakizimana, a social work freshman from Montreal, contributed nine points, primarily from a 4-for-5 performance at the charity stripe. She also registered three rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.

Marika Guerin, a 5-foot-4 point guard from Sorel, Que., netted three of four trey attempts for nine points off the bench, to go along with one steal and a pair of assists. Marie-Love Michel of Montreal had a solid all-round outing with six points, five rebounds, five assists, one block and a steal. Gabriela Hebert, a fifth-year forward from Chicoutimi, Que., added six points and was credited with four rebounds and a steal.

McGill had a 32-27 lead in rebounds, while the Rouge et Or took a 23-16 advantage in turnovers, an 11-8 difference in steals, and a 3-2 edge in blocked shots.

Sarah-Jane Marois of Quebec City led the Rouge et Or with a game-high 13 points and collected four rebounds, while teammate Justine Guay-Bilodeau, also from the provincial capital, went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.

The Martlets shot 38.5 per cent from the field (20/52) and 39.1 per cent (9/23) from three-point range. They succeeded on 11 of 13 free-throws, including nine in the second half. Laval shot a meagre 23.2 per cent overall (13/56), including three for 25 from beyond the arc, and went 21 for 27 from the line.

The division-leading Martlets improved to 13-1 after having clinched the conference pennant last weekend. With just two regular season games remaining, McGill hosts last-place Bishop's (0-13) on Saturday, Feb. 27 at Love Competition Hall. Laval (8-6) sits tied with UQAM (8-5) in a battle for second place -- the teams will battle it out against each other on Feb. 27.
 
CIS BASKETBALL STANDINGS

CIS SCORING LEADERS

 

Pos	Équipe	MJ	V	D	PP	PC	MOY	Diff.	PTS
1	McGill	14	13	1	883	729	0.929	0.0	26
2	UQAM	13	8	5	799	705	0.615	4.5	16
3	Laval	14	8	6	871	796	0.571	5.0	16
4	Concordia	14	5	9	829	831	0.357	8.0	10
5	Bishop's	13	0	13	588	909	0.000	12.5	0

FOR FURTHER INFO CONTACT:
Kirsten Whelan or Earl Zukerman
McGill Sports Info Office
(514) 398-7012