MONTREAL --
Sirah Diarra of Longueuil, Que., registered a "double-double" as McGill University dominated Bishops 67-44 in RSEQ women's basketball Thursday night at Love Competition Hall.
It was the Martlets eighth win in their last nine confrontations against the Gaiters and the first rendezvous since McGill's 72-50 victory in the RSEQ semifinal on February 28, 2018.
McGill held a 21-11 lead after the opening quarter and a 33-18 edge at halftime. The Martlets controlled the third quarter 15-13 and took the fourth 19-13.
"I think we played well, we were aggressive, we attacked the paint which gave us some good opportunity for offensive opportunities and also gave us some good lay-up options," said Martlet head coach
Ryan Thorne.
Diarra, a 6-foot-1 NCAA transfer from Clemson University, accomplished the rare feat of collecting a double-double in the first half (12 pts, 10 rebounds) and finished with career highs in points (20) and rebounds (23). It was the league's highest single-game rebound total since they began tracking the highs in 2007-08. She also contributed four blocked shots, and two assists in 26 minutes of court time. The first-year social work major shot 9-for-18 from the field and netted both attempts from three-point range.
"One of the most impressive finishes that I've seen and she pretty much didn't play in the fourth quarter," noted Thorne. "She brings physicality, she is getting into better shape -- I think she could have had 30 easily."
Charlotte Clayton a 5-foot-8 guard, from Newmarket, Ont., recorded 11 points, two steals, and one assist for McGill. The arts & science sophomore shot 4-for-8 from the floor and made three of four shots from the three-point arc.
Other leading Martlets scorers were
Kamsi Ogbudibe from Calgary, Alb., and Montrealer
Geraldine Cabillo-Abante with eight points apiece.
"Our team has good balance, We are coming together and learning to play together. It is still early and I think by the end of the year you'll see an entirely different team," added Thorne.
Gaiters forward
Marie Berrouette posted a double-double in a losing cause, with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Teammate
Maude Archambault scored 17 points with a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
McGill shot 41.8 per cent from the floor (28/67), 30.0 from beyond the arc (6/20) and 62.5 from the free-throw line (5/8) compared to Bishop's, which shot a paltry 18.8 per cent (13/69), drained four of 27 treys and made 14 of 20 attempts from the line.
The Gaiters (1-1) play undefeated Laval (2-0) at home on Nov. 15, while McGill (3-1) gets a week off before hosting Concordia (1-1) on Nov. 22 at 6 p.m.
McGill and Bishop's meet again on Dec, 1 at Mitchell Gym in Lennoxville, with tip-off set for 6 p.m.
| 2018-19 RSEQ Women's Basketball Standings • Classement de la saison régulière du basketball (m) 2018-19 |
|
|
| 1 |
Laval |
2 |
2 |
0 |
131 |
107 |
1.000 |
0.0 |
4 |
| 2 |
McGill |
3 |
2 |
1 |
170 |
165 |
0.667 |
0.5 |
4 |
| 3 |
Concordia |
2 |
1 |
1 |
125 |
126 |
0.500 |
1.0 |
2 |
| 4 |
Bishop's |
2 |
1 |
1 |
113 |
132 |
0.500 |
1.0 |
2 |
| 5 |
UQAM |
3 |
0 |
3 |
181 |
190 |
0.000 |
2.5 |
0 |
