MONTREAL -- Montrealers Sirah Diarra and Nadege Pluviose each recorded a "double-double", as McGill defeated Concordia 60-57 at Love Competition Hall, Saturday, to clinch a playoff berth in the RSEQ women's basketball conference.
 
The result improved McGill's record to 7-8 on the season and guaranteed them a playoff berth, with one regular-season game left. The Stingers (4-10) have an uphill battle to secure a playoff spot as they sit at the bottom of the five-team Quebec league with two games remaining against the two top-ranked teams.
 
"The girls have just started to play more as a team, they are playing for each other and not for themselves, win lose or draw, as long as you're playing for each other you give yourself a chance," said Martlet head coach Ryan Thorne of his squad, who struggled with an 0-3 start and a 2-7 record in mid-January before posting a 5-1 record down the stretch.  "We got together over the break and spent some time together, we had mental performance consultant Heidi Malo come in and talk to the girls, work on some drills. She has watched us practice a bit and will be back with us before we head into playoffs"
 
In a matchup that featured 10 lead changes, Concordia led 17-14 after the first quarter but the Martlets fought back to take a 30-28 edge into halftime. The Stingers held a slight 16-13 margin in the third quarter but McGill triumphed with a 17-13 closing quarter.
 
"You can never underestimate Concordia, they've got a great coach who is about fighting, and that's what they did," noted Thorne. "They're probably down their best player, Myriam Leclerc to injury. Our girls didn't come in here thinking, 'Myriam's out so it's over'. Concordia came here with something to prove, and they proved it, they have hearts of champions."
 
The Stingers, who fielded a lineup with only three players on the bench, almost came back to win. Trailing by a single point late in the final quarter, the final dagger in their side occured when Martlet guard GG Cabillo-Abante responded with a three-point jump shot to put McGill up 58-54, and shut down the Stingers comeback attempt with 22 seconds remaining.
 
"GG is full of heart, she is not afraid of the moment and that's what it came down to," said Thorne of the fifth-year physical education senior who had nine points and six rebounds. "She wasn't afraid to take the shot, and we were in great rebounding position with both Diarra and Pluviose, I was really happy for GG."
 
Diarra, a second-year transfer from Clemson, registered 14 points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds in 27 minutes on the court. The 6-foot-1 centre shot 7-for-13 from the floor and was also credited with a pair of assists and two steals.

Pluviose, a 5-foot-10 forward, registered 12 points, 10 rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal. She shot 5-for-14 from the floor and was 2-for-4 on free-throws.

"Pluviose came through down the stretch, she has probably been our most consistent player this year in terms of scoring, she battles and is earning her place in the offence," noted Thorne. "It was a rebound game for Diarra, who in her last game had only two points, this game she came out and had 14, I think that combination is starting to work well, with Nadege and Sirah."
 
Another key contributor for McGill, was sophomore guard Trishia Villedrouin, a Montrealer who scored 11 points and pulled down four rebounds.
 
Concordia shooting-guard Caroline Task posted a game-high 25 points, shooting 8-of-24 from the floor and sinking 3-of-3 freebies. Teammate Gretta Ineza contributed 10 points.
 
McGill held a 44-21 advantage in rebounds and had a 3-0 margin in blocked shots. The Stingers, who failed to benefit from a 22-18 advantage in turnovers, had a 10-9 edge in steals.
 
The Martlets shot 36.4 per cent from the field (24/66), 20.8 from beyond the arc (5/24) and drained seven of 12 attempts from the line. Concordia shot 35 per cent from the field (21/60), went 10-for-26 from downtown and 5-for-7 in free-throw shooting.
 
Concordia (4-10), which can finish fourth or fifth, now face two must-win games to keep their playoff hopes alive. They return to the court on Feb. 20 against Bishop's (8-6) and will conclude their schedule against division-leading Laval (10-4) on Feb. 22. The third-place Martlets close their regular campaign at Love Competition Hall with a critical confrontation against fourth-place UQAM (6-7) on Thursday (Feb. 20), tip-off set for 6 p.m. A McGill victory would clinch third place, but they could not catch second-place Bishop's (8-6) because the Gaiters won the season series 3-1.

A McGill loss to UQAM would result in the Citadins finishing third with a 3-1 record against the Martlets in head-to-head meetings.

GAME NOTES: The Saturday matinee with Concordia only featured a women's game as the men were playing across town at Concordia -- a 58-54 victory -- in a rare split doubleheader. The event also served as McGill's second annual Black History Month celebration. McGill was the first Quebec university to hire a black basketball coach when Ryan Thorne was appointed bench boss in 2003 and Concordia was the second institution to follow suit with the appointment of Tenicha Gittens in 2015.

SCORING SUMMARY

RSEQ STANDINGS & STATS