MONTREAL – Senior Frederique Potvin scored a career-high 25 points and junior Gladys Hakizimana added 21 -- with five of them in the final minute -- as the McGill University women's basketball team rallied for a 68-66 preseason victory over Iona College at Love Competition Hall, Sunday.
 
It was the 96th season opener for the defending national champion Martlets and marked their third win in as many games against an NCAA Div. 1 squad, including victories over Seton Hall and Akron last year. The McGill women have now won four of their last five confrontations versus NCAA teams.
 
Iona, which hails from New Rochelle, N.Y., defeated UQAM 77-61 on Aug. 17 but were spanked 80-47 at Laval on Aug. 19. The Gaels posted a 12-8 fifth-place record in the 11-team Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference last season after capturing the league title the previous year.
 
McGill was without the services of 6-foot-4 senior centre Alex Kiss-Rusk, who is playing for Canada at the FISU Games in Taipei City. Despite that burden, the Martlets led 11-8 after the opening quarter. Iona rebounded to take a 32-28 advantage at halftime and clung to a 52-49 advantage heading into the final stanza, which went 19-15 in McGill's favour.
 
Trailing 64-60 with 90 seconds remaining in regulation, Potvin and Hakizimana nailed back-to-back treys as McGill took a 66-64 lead. But the Gaels evened the count at 66-66 when Treyanna Clay made a lay-up with 32 ticks remaining on the clock. Ten seconds later, with icewater in her veins, Hakiziman knocked down a pair of free-throws to clinch the come-from-behind victory. The 5-foot-7 point-guard grom Montreal, also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds and made six of 11 shots, including a 3-for-5 effort from downtown. She was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
 
Potvin, whose previous best was 20 points in a game at the Nationals last spring, also contributed seven rebounds, two steals and a pair of blocks. She shot 10-for-17 from the field with a nifty 5-for-8 effort from three-point range.
 
Rounding out the scoring for McGill was Geraldine Cabillo-Abante and freshman Charlotte Clayton with six apiece. Teammates Ruth Tshikudi-Tshila and Stephanie Guinois-Cote added five each.
 
McGill held a 31-30 slight difference in rebounding and a 4-2 margin in blocked shots. The Gaels had a 23-16 advantage in turnovers, which parlayed into a 6-5 edge in steals.
 
Iona had three players in double digits, led by Clay, who posted a game-high 26 points on 9-for-20 shooting and an 8-for-10 effort at the line. Adrienne Digioia and Amelia Motz added a dozen points apiece.
 
McGill shot 39.7 per cent from the floor (25/63), 37.9 from beyond the arc (11/29) and 77.8 from the charity stripe (7/9). The Gaels shot 40.6 from the field (26/64) but went 0-for-5 on their log bombs and only 14-for-23 from the freebie line.
 
McGill (1-0) will host St. Francis College, an NCAA Div. 1 squad from Brooklyn, N.Y., on Tuesday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m..The Gaels, meanwhile, head back home with a 1-2 record in their six-day excursion to Quebec. They are not scheduled to play another game until Nov. 10 when they head to Jacksonville, Fla.
 
 
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012 (Tel.)
m.athletics.mcgill.ca (mobile website)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
@EarlZukerman (twitter)
 
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