MONTREAL --
Frederique Potvin scored 16 points and
Alex Kiss-Rusk registered her fifth consecutive "double-double" as second-ranked McGill rallied to defeat the UQAM Citadins 65-56 in the first RSEQ women's basketball game of the New Year, a sleepy affair played at the Centre Sportif de l'UQAM, Thursday.
The Martlets trailed 6-0 early on but rebounded to lead by a slim 13-12 margin after the opening quarter against the winless Citadins. However, UQAM outscored the division-leading McGill squad 20-15 in the second stanza to take a 32-28 advantage at halftime. The Martlets came out much more focussed in the second half, winning the third quarter 16-13, then dominated the final frame 21-11.
"We came out a little lethargic and we didn't play our style of basketball," said McGill head coach
Ryan Thorne. "We came out thinking that we should win this game, so we don't have to put in the effort. And UQAM's a team that, if you don't work hard, they're going to make you pay.
"[The fourth-quarter improvement] was a combination of two things," he explained. "Early in the game we allowed them easy opportunities to catch the ball and then we had to work hard to defend. Whereas we had tough opportunities to get the ball and had to work hard to score. So those two combined didn't make for a good first half. In fourth quarter -- we made it tougher on them to get opportunities and we made some easier decisions, some better screens and things like that."
Potvin, a 5-foot-10 guard from Ste. Julie, Que., shot 6-for-13 from the floor and was perfect on her four free-throw attempts. The social work senior also pulled down one rebound and had a pair of steals and an assist.
Kiss-Rusk, a 6-foot-4 centre from Beaconsfield, Que., tallied 14 points and corralled 10 rebounds, including seven in the defensive zone. She shot 6-for-11 from the field, 2-for-3 from the line and added five blocks, two assists and a steal.
Gladys Hakizimana and
Ruth Tshikudi-Tshila followed with six points apiece. Hakizimana, a junior guard from Montreal, also grabbed two rebounds, had one assist and a pair of steals. Tshikudi-Tshila, a sophomore forward from Montreal, shot 2-for-3 from the field, drained both her free throws, grabbed a rebound and stole one ball.
The Citadins were led by
Jessica Lubin, who scored a game-high 19 points and collected a dozen rebounds for a double-double of her own.
"I'm hoping we come out hungry from the get-go," said Thorne of Saturday's upcoming rematch at Love Competition Hall. "If that happens then I think we'll be okay. We're relying too much on the fact that we believe we're better, that we'll pull it out at the end, and we can rest on possessions and take our time -- but that's not a reality. Especially for the benefit of some of the players coming off the bench, we've got to go in there and put in the work with the time that we're given so that other people get in and can relieve us."
McGill shot 42.3 per cent from the field (22/52), including a 2-for-8 mark from three-point range and was 19-for-30 on free throws (63.3 per cent). UQAM shot 32.7 from the field (22/60), including 2-for-10 from beyond the arc, and was 10-for-17 from the charity stripe (58.8 per cent).
The Citadins (0-5) had a 36-32 rebounding advantage, an 11-8 edge in steals and a 14-18 difference in turnovers allowed, while the Martlets (4-1) held a 5-3 margin in blocks.
McGill will host the second leg of the home-and-home series on Saturday (Jan. 6) at 4 p.m.
| 2017-18 RSEQ Women's Basketball Standings • Classement de la saison régulière du RSEQ |
|
|
| 1 |
McGill |
5 |
4 |
1 |
349 |
283 |
0.800 |
0.0 |
8 |
| 2 |
Concordia |
4 |
3 |
1 |
276 |
268 |
0.750 |
0.5 |
6 |
| 3 |
Laval |
5 |
3 |
2 |
298 |
277 |
0.600 |
1.0 |
6 |
| 4 |
Bishop's |
5 |
2 |
3 |
315 |
345 |
0.400 |
2.0 |
4 |
| 5 |
UQAM |
5 |
0 |
5 |
281 |
346 |
0.000 |
4.0 |
0 |
