MONTREAL -- Montrealer
Gladys Hakizimana scored 22 points, including four free throws in the final minute as McGill University upset the No. 2-ranked Concordia Stingers 63-58 in RSEQ women's basketball at the John Dore Court, Thursday evening.
The Martlets improved their overall record against Concordia to 65-63 since 1981.
McGill led 20-13 after the first quarter, had a 34-23 advantage at halftime and opened up a 16-point lead just 90 seconds into the third quarter before the Stingers roared back with a stunning 27-7 run to take a 49-46 lead with 6:39 remaining in the game. McGill, however, righted their ship and cruised to a 17-9 run to close out the contest.
"We executed and followed the game plan defensively but it kind of got away from us late in the third quarter and into the fourth because we had to sit
Sirah Diarra, our leading rebounder, who did a good job for us protecting the paint but was in foul trouble," said McGill head coach
Ryan Thorne. "Then it was a bit of nerves and we turned over the ball over way too many times and that was the big difference (that led to Concordia's comeback). I was just pleased with the fact that we wew able to hold on for the win even though we were so loose with the ball."
The Stingers held a stunning 23-7 edge in turnovers, which translated into a 24-7 advantage on the scoreboard. McGill led 38-22 in rebounds and had a 5-1 margin in blocked shots.
Hakizimana, a 5-foot-7 point-guard, made a pair of free-throws with 81 seconds left to put the Martlets ahead for good at 59-58, then added another pair of freebies with 27 seconds left to rub salt in Concordia's wounds. The social work senior shot 7-for-11 from the field, including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc and went a perfect 5-for-5 on free-throws. She also pulled down five rebounds and registered one assist.
"Gladys played well, did what she was supposed to do," noted Thorne. "She shot well, took open shots, attacked the basket and did some pretty good things on defence. That's a Gladys-type of game and that's the type of numbers that we need from her. She's one of our best perimeter shooters and I would like to see her shoot more."
Charlotte Clayton, a sophomore from Newmarket, Ont., tallied 12 points and recorded five rebounds for the Martlets. She shot 5-for-6 from the floor and 2-for-3 from the line.
The aforementioned Diarra. a transfer from Clemson, who started but drew four fouls, was limited to just 18 minutes of court time. The 6-foot-1 native of Longueuil, Que., tallied four points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with three assists and a steal.
Concordia shooting-guard
Myriam Leclerc of St. Roch de Richelieu, Que., scored a game-high 26 points, shooting 10-of-22 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the line. Teammates
Coralie Dumont and
Caroline Task contributed 14 and 11 points, respectively.
Concordia shot 34.4 per cent from the field (21/61), went 1-for-17 from downtown and was 15-for-21 on free-throws. The Martlets shot 46.8 per cent from the field (22/47), 40.0 from beyond the arc (6/15) and 76.5 from the line (13/17).
The third-place Martlets (4-2) now sit four points behind second-place Concordia (6-2) with two games in hand. The cross-town rivals will face each other again on Saturday (Jan 19), in the annual "Shoot for the Cure" fundraiser for breast cancer at Love Competition Hall. McGill will be dressed in pink and white uniforms, instead of their traditional red and white colours. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m, followed by the men's game at 6 p.m., which will serve as the inaugural George Lengvari Cup, an annual competition between these local rivals, much like the Shaughnessy Cup in football and the Corey Cup in hockey. Lengvari, a long-time befecator for both schools, played varsity basketball for Loyola and McGill in the 1960s.
Tickets, available
online, are $10 for adults and $5 for students, seniors and McGill staff. Children 12-and under are admitted free.
| 2018-19 RSEQ WOMEN'S UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL STANDINGS |
|
|
| 1 |
Laval |
7 |
7 |
0 |
517 |
371 |
1.000 |
0.0 |
14 |
| 2 |
Concordia |
8 |
6 |
2 |
537 |
467 |
0.750 |
1.5 |
12 |
| 3 |
McGill |
6 |
4 |
2 |
361 |
359 |
0.667 |
2.5 |
8 |
| 4 |
UQAM |
8 |
1 |
7 |
480 |
572 |
0.125 |
6.5 |
2 |
| 5 |
Bishop's |
9 |
1 |
8 |
503 |
629 |
0.111 |
7.0 |
2 |
