MONTREAL -- Montrealer
Gladys Hakizimana scored 24 points as McGill University upset No.1 ranked Laval 53-52 and spoiled their bid for an undefeated record to conclude the RSEQ women's basketball regular season at Love Competition Hall, Saturday.
McGill was the last team to go undefeated in the Quebec conference, posting an unblemished 12-0 record in the 1995-96 season. Laval, which finished at 15-1, will host fourth-place UQAM (3-13) in an RSEQ sudden-death semifinal on Wednesday, Feb. 27. The Martlets, who struggled throughout the season, appear to be peaking at the right time, winning four of their last five outings. They finished third in the five-team Quebec league with a 10-6 record and will travel to second-seeded Concordia in the other semifinal that same night.
This was McGill's first victory over their provincial rivals since a 56-52 triumph in the RSEQ championship game on Mar. 3, 2018. The Martlets had dropped their first three meetings against Laval this season, losing by lopsided margins of 19, 18 and 45 points, respectively.
McGill led the first quarter 18-17, had a 31-30 edge going into half-time and a 50-41 advantage after three. The Rouge et Or rallied back in the final quarter 11-3 and had two missed shots for a winning basket in the final six seconds.
Sirah Diarra of Longueuil, Que., registered eight points and three rebounds. The NCAA transfer made a pair of key free throws with 1:45 left in the fourth quarter to tie the game up 52-52. She only shot 2-for-8 from the field but went a perfect 4-for-4 from the line.
Hakizimana, a 5-foot-7 point-guard, shot 7-for-10 from the floor, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc and went 6-for-10 from the free-throw line. She added five rebounds and an assist. The social work senior made the winning basket on a free-throw with 1:08 left in the game to break a 52-52 deadlock.
Laval was led by
Jane Gagne with 27 points. She shot 9-for-12 from the field, 3-for-6 from behind the arc and went 6-for-6 on freebies.
McGill connected on just 34.7 per cent from the field (17/49), 41.2 from downtown (7/17) and was 12-for-16 on free-throws. The Rouge et Or shot 38.3 from the field (18/47), including a 6-for-22 mark from downtown and went a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe.
McGill, which has won seven consecutive league championships, only has four days to begin their quest for an eighth straight title. Tip-off on Wednesday at Concordia's John Dore Court is set for 6 p.m. The Stingers took three of four meetings this season, winning 77-63, 59-47 and 63-51. McGill's victory was a 63-58 decision in the second confrontation, on Jan. 17 at Concordia.
MARTLET MURMURS: The game served as the team's first-ever Black History Month celebration and featured entrepreneurs from the black community in Tomlinson Hall. After the final buzzer, McGill bench boss
Ryan Thorne, who became the first black head coach in the Quebec conference almost 16 years ago and guided McGill to its first national basketball championship, took the microphone and addressed the crowd on how basketball gave him an unimaginable opportunity to attend university. He made a $500 donation towards a scholarship fund for student-athletes, through
Montreal United, a non-profit organization that offers mentoring to youth through sports. He encouraged fans to further support the initiative by purchasing special T-shirts that the team is selling as a fundraiser for Black History Month. During his playing days, Thorne used basketball to begin a stellar career at John Abbott College, where he was team captain and most valuable player. He then played at Bishop's University, where he served as captain and MVP, before graduating in 1999 with a bachelor's degree, majoring in economics. Thorne was a three-time conference all-star, earned honorable mention in the 1998-99 all-Canadian voting and guided the Gaiters to a national championship in 1997-98.
2018-19 RSEQ Women's Basketball Standings (FINAL)
| 1 |
Laval |
16 |
15 |
1 |
1187 |
860 |
0.938 |
0.0 |
30 |
| 2 |
Concordia |
16 |
10 |
6 |
1050 |
966 |
0.625 |
5.0 |
20 |
| 3 |
McGill |
16 |
10 |
6 |
908 |
935 |
0.625 |
5.0 |
20 |
| 4 |
UQAM |
16 |
3 |
13 |
968 |
1102 |
0.188 |
12.0 |
6 |
| 5 |
e-Bishop's |
16 |
2 |
14 |
893 |
1143 |
0.125 |
13.0 |
4 |
e-Eliminated from playoff contention
