QUEBEC CITY – Gladys Hakizimana returned from the clinic to score a team-high 16 points -- including the winning free-throw with just over five seconds remaining -- as McGill University edged No. 10-ranked Laval 61-60 in a showdown of RSEQ women's basketball squads at the Centre PEPS, Thursday.
 
It was McGill's first win at the PEPS facility in three games and the result avenged an embarrassing 43-35 home-court loss suffered against Laval in the season opener on Nov. 7. The Martlets, who started out the regular season with three consecutive losses, have now won two straight road games.

The result marked the sixth consecutive contest where McGill had scored more points than their previous outing. They tallied 22 in a preseason loss to Maine, followed by 35, 38, 47, 58 and now 61.

"I think we're getting better. Just playing a little more free," noted McGill head coach Ryan Thorne who saw four of his five starters combine for 45 of the 61 points against Laval. "One of the things we were focusing on was our inside play. What that was doing was clogging up a lot of our penetration lanes and opportunities for our players to attack so. We talked about playing with better spacing and I think we've done that. Even the game we lost against Bishop's (64-47 on Nov. 21) we spaced the floor a little better."

McGill had a 41-30 edge in rebounding, pulling down 33 boards in the defensive zone.

The Martlets led 14-12 after the first quarter, had a 30-24 edge going into half-time and a 49-41 advantage after three, bolstered by three consecutive treys. The Rouge et Or fought back in the final quarter 19-13, including a buzzer-beating three on the last shot to make it a one-point game.

Hakizimana, a 5-foot-7 point guard from Montreal, rejoined McGill's line-up after leaving early last game against Concordia with an upper-body injury. She put McGill ahead 61-57 with a dagger shot after draining one of two free-throws in the dying seconds. The social work senior went 6-for-16 from the floor and 2-for-7 from beyond the arc. She also pulled down four rebounds and collected three assists in 33 minutes of court It was a solid all-round performance for for the fifth-year veteran who

Teammates Nadege Pluviose of Montreal and Charlotte Clayton from Newmarket, Ont., both had double digit performances, for the second straight game. Pluviose, with 15 points, shot 6-for-13 from the field and sank 3-of-5 treys. Clayton followed closely with 14 points, shooting 5-for-13 including 4-for-8 from downtown. Neither player was sent to the free-throw line.

Just missing a double-double was Sirah Diarra, a 6-foot-1 centre from Longueuil, Que., who finished with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds, in addition to three assists and one blocked shot. She made a key lay-up moments before Hakizimana iced the contest..

"We just went high-low for her," noted McGill head coach Ryan Thorne, matter-of-factly about Diarra's basket. "She got a good catch. Easy turn and score."

Spearheading Laval's offence was Carrie-Ann Auger with 18 points. She had a supporting cast from the bench that tallied a combined 29 points, compared to McGill's eight from their subs.
 
The Martlets connected on just 36.7 per cent from the field (22/60), 37.9 from three-point range (11/29) and was 6-for-10 on free-throws. The Rouge et Or shot 35.1 from the field (20/57), including a 6-for-22 effort in three-pointers and went 7-for-10 from the line.
 
McGill (2-3) hosts Bishop's (3-1) on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 4 p.m. in the annual Pots & Pans Nite. Laval (3-2) is off until the new year when they will meet the Martlets once again at Love Competition Hall on Jan. 8.

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