QUEBEC CITY -- Claudia Emond scored 16 points and Léa Dominique registered a "double-double" as fifth-ranked Laval toppled No.3 McGill 64-56 in RSEQ women's basketball at Centre PEPS on Saturday.

The division-leading Martlets dropped to 9-3 with four games remaining and hold a slim two point lead over Laval (8-3), which holds a game in hand. With one game remaining between the provincial rivals, the Rouge et Or now have a 2-1 edge in the season series and a net advantage of +12 points in head-to-head meetings, which would be a difference-maker should the teams wind up tied in the standings.

Both sides had 21 points after the first quarter but Laval pulled ahead 33-31 at halftime and led 52-44 after three. The Martlets shot 40.8 per cent from the field (20/49), 14.3 from three-point range (2/14), and went 14-for-21 on free throws. Laval shot 32.4 per cent from the field (23/71), 26.1 per cent from beyond the arc (6/23), and was 12-for-15 from the charity stripe.

"They had 22 more attempted shots than we did and we lost by eight points. That's the story right there," said McGill head coach Ryan Thorne. "You're not going to beat the No.5 team in the country if they shoot that many more than us... We didn't box out. They got offensive rebounds and second chances. It was a lack of attention to details and discipline. Rebounding is a discipline, so you make sure that you box out and get those rebounds. We weren't doing that. We were trying to jump and contest (for shots)."

The Rouge et Or had a 35-30 rebounding advantage, a 9-5 margin in steals and a favourable 18-12 difference in turnovers, while McGill had a 5-4 edge in blocks.

Emond shot 5-for-14 from the field, including 2-for-7 from the three-point range, and was 4-for-6 on free throws. She also pulled down four defensive rebounds and had six assists, three steals and three blocks. Dominique tallied 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, to go along with three assists and one steal.

The Martlets were led by Alex Kiss-Rusk of Beaconsfield, Que., who netted 15 points and corralled 13 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season. The 6-foot-4 centre shot 6-for-14 from the field and 3-for-6 from the charity stripe and had three assists and a trio of blocks.

Teammate Frederique Potvin of Ste. Julie, Que., followed with 13 points. She shot 3-for-10 from the floor, including 2-for-7 from beyond the arc, and was a perfect 5-for-5 on free throws. The 5-foot-10 guard also grabbed four rebounds and had three assists, a block and a steal.

Rookie Kamsi Ogbudibe of Calgary, Alta., rounded out the double-digit scorers with a career-high 11 points. She also claimed five rebounds, one block and a steal in 18 minutes off the bench.

McGill (9-3) visits Concordia (3-9) on Saturday, Feb. 10, while the Rouge et Or (8-3) will host Bishop's (5-6) on Feb. 11.

 

2017-18 RSEQ Women's Basketball Standings • Classement de la saison régulière de basketball (f)

Pos	TEAM	GP	W	L	PF	PA	PCT	GBL	PTS
1	McGill	12	9	3	761	666	0.750	0.0	18
2	Laval	11	8	3	672	614	0.727	0.5	16
3	Bishop's	11	5	6	695	719	0.455	3.5	10
4	UQAM	12	4	8	726	750	0.333	5.0	8
5	Concordia	12	3	9	725	830	0.250	6.0	6