MONTREAL -- Jenning Leung hit five treys and drained a game-high 24 points as No.6 ranked McGill rallied to dump the UQAM Citadins 86-69 in men's basketball before a raucous home-opening crowd of about 800 at the Centre Sportif, Thursday.

It was the first confrontation between the cross-town rivals since McGill defeated the Citadins 82-65 in the RSEQ conference championship game at the Centre Pierre Charbonneau last March. The Redmen have now won 20 of the past 24 contests against the Citadins and hold a lifetime 38-24 head-to-head advantage overall, including a 15-15 road record at UQAM. 

The Citadins jumped into an early 11-2 lead but McGill rebounded in a high octane quarter to lead 23-21 after the opening stanza. The Redmen extended that lead to 46-36 at halftime and 61-48 after three, then outlasted the home team 25-21 in a wide-open fourth quarter.

"I was proud of our guys and the way we played in a tough environment," said bench boss David DeAveiro, who improved his McGill coaching record to 153-104 overall and 83-31 in regular-season play. "It was UQAM's home-opener and they competed very well in front of what looked like a standing-room only crowd. We got off to a slow start and kind of survived the first quarter, got it going a bit in the second and third. We struggled early in the fourth quarter but executed and made some key shots down the stretch. I thought that we weren't at our best today and missed on a lot of open looks and on some other details but part of that was the hostile environment. It was loud and we couldn't hear each other at times. It seemed that every time we had a chance to deliver a knockout punch, we would turn it over or miss an easy shot. But any time you go on the road and win in our conference, you've done a good job."

Leung, a 6-foot-1 guard from The Philippines, played a game-high 36 minutes and also contributed five rebounds and four steals. The fifth-year psychology and international development studies major scored 13 of his 24 points in the final quarter. He shot 9-for-17 from the floor -- including a 5-for-12 effort from three-point range -- and went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line.

"I think he struggled a little today but came on strong at the end," offered DeAveiro. "He scored 10 points in the last three minutes, when he made some big shots. That's what fifth-year guys do, that's why he came back for a fifth year. To play in tough road games like this where we need some big shots to be delivered."

Leung was one of five McGill players to reach double digits in scoring, a group that included seniors Dele Ogundokun (15 pts., 2 rbs., 1 steal) of Hamilton, Ont., and Francois Bourque (10 pts, 6 rbs, 2 steals) of Terrebonne, along with point-guard Alex Paquin (10 pts, 4 rbs, 2 steals) of Montreal, and forward Daniel Pieper (10 pts, 3 rbs, 3 steals), a senior from Amsterdam.

The Redmen won the turnover battle with a favorable 18-16 margin, aided by a 13-11 edge in steals. McGill also held a slight 33-31 margin in rebounds. They shot a stellar 51.5 per cent in the game (34/66), dropped nine of 28 treys and nine of 14 free-throws. UQAM replied with 40.7 per cent shooting from the floor (24/59), went 8-for-25 from the arc and 13-for-16 from the stripe.

Three Citadins reached double figures, led by Ibrahima Sylla with 18, plus Charles Miller (14) and Misi-Boye Jeanneau (13).

McGill, which leads the RSEQ conference with a 2-0 record, will host second-place Concordia (1-1) on Saturday (Nov. 18) at 6 p.m. The game, which follows the women's 4 p.m. matchup with the Stingers,  is expected to attract a noisy, capacity crowd in Love Competition Hall as it will be McGill's third annual Pots & Pans Night. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students. Children 12-and-under are admitted for free. Advance tickets available online.

UQAM (0-2) is off until Nov. 23 when they host Laval (1-1).

 

2017-18 RSEQ Men's Basketball Standings • Classement de la saison régulière du RSEQ

Pos	TEAM	GP	W	L	PF	PA	PCT	GBL	PTS
1	McGill	2	2	0	178	125	1.000	0.0	4
2	Laval	2	1	1	139	158	0.500	1.0	2
3	Concordia	2	1	1	154	154	0.500	1.0	2
4	Bishop's	2	1	1	154	165	0.500	1.0	2
5	UQAM	2	0	2	146	169	0.000	2.0	0