MONTREAL -- Alex Kiss-Rusk of Beaconsfield, Que., scored a game-high 14 points as McGill defeated the Université du Québec à Montréal 60-54 in RSEQ women's basketball, Saturday, at Love Competition Hall.

The victory avenged a 55-47 loss to the Citadins on Friday, improving the Martlets' record to 1-2 in the season series their lifetime record to 37-23 record in 60 meetings with UQAM. It also halted a two-game losing skid.

"I think we just showed a greater desire (than yesterday)," said McGill head coach Ryan Thorne. "We wanted it more, we're home, and we shot better. We gave up pretty much the same amount of points (as the day before) so in terms of defensive adjustments it was pretty much the same thing. But today I think we wanted it a little more, we attacked a little better offensively, and we were home."

Kiss-Rusk, a 6-foot-4 centre, shot 6-for-9 from the field and sank both her free-throws. The psychology senior also gathered five rebounds in 24 minutes of court time.

"I hope this win gives us more confidences and not more complacency," Thorne offered. "Sometimes you get those two crossed and you get confident, conceited, cocky and complacent. But we can't afford those things.

"We've talked about the ability to beat anyone, and we know we can. But we've got to do all the little things right and we haven't been doing those. Everyone's got to rebound. There were times today where five people didn't go to the defensive glass so we've still got a lot to work on, but in terms of giving us a better feeling amongst ourselves, absolutely."

Marika Guerin, a junior from Sorel, Que., tallied 10 points, courtesy of eight free-throws on 10 attempts and a 1-for-7 shooting rate from the floor. The 5-foot-4 point guard also registered an assist, one block and a steal. Frederique Potvin, a 5-foot-10 guard from Ste. Julie, Que., was 2-for-9 from the field, including 1-for-5 from downtown, and 2-for-4 from the stripe. A social work major who transferred from the University of Pittsburgh, she grabbed a pair of rebounds, blocked one shot and stole three balls. Sophomore Gladys Hakizimana of Montreal shot 2-for-5 from the field, including 1-for-2 on treys, and drained two free-throws to finish with seven points. She also pulled down three rebounds, recorded three assists and two steals. Fredericke Laflamme, a sophomore from Trois-Rivières, Que., netted two treys in the opening quarter for six points and also earned an assist in just 15 minutes of play.

"Laflamme came in early and knocked down a whole bunch of threes so that really helped us out. I think we built up a pretty good lead," added Thorne, whose team had a 13-7 advantage after one and carried a 30-21 margin into the intermission, before an even 16-16 third quarter. UQAM had a 17-14 edge in the final stanza.

Jessica Lubin and Quételine Célestin led the Citadins with 13 points apiece. Célestin matched that with 13 rebounds to record a "double-double" in a losing cause.

The Martlets had a 3-0 margin in blocks and an 11-9 edge in steals. UQAM held a 39-24 rebounding advantage, while both teams committed 18 turnovers.

McGill shot 38.8 per cent from the field (19/49), 26.7 from downtown (4/15), and 75.0 from the stripe (18/24). The Citadins shot just 29.2 per cent from the field (21/72), including a dismal 1-for-13 performance from beyond the arc, and were 11-for-18 on free throws.

The third-place Martlets, who have reached the halfway mark in their 16-game schedule with a 3-5 record, visit fourth-place Concordia (2-4) on Jan. 19. Second-place UQAM (5-3) next plays at cellar-dwelling Bishop's (1-5) on Jan. 20.

MARTLET MURMURS: McGill was without the services of 5-foot-11 forward Jennifer Silver for the third straight game... The medical school senior suffered a hand injury against Laval on Jan. 4... Her status is unknown for the upcoming weekend.

 

2016-17 RSEQ Basketball Standings  (updated after games of Jan. 14) • Classement de la saison régulière

Pos	Équipe	MJ	V	D	PP	PC	MOY	Diff.	PTS
1	Laval	8	7	1	536	424	0.875	0.0	14
2	UQAM	8	5	3	494	481	0.625	2.0	10
3	McGill	8	3	5	393	453	0.375	4.0	6
4	Concordia	6	2	4	352	380	0.333	4.0	4
5	Bishop's	6	1	5	340	377	0.167	5.0	2