MONTREAL -- Inga Aleksaite from France scored a game-high 16 points as the UQAM Citadins defeated McGill University 58-55 and put a damper on the Martlets' Seniors Night celebrations in women's basketball, Thursday, at Love Competition Hall.
 
The game was a showdown for third-place in the five-team Quebec conference and the result clinched third-place for UQAM, which improved to 7-8 with one game remaining. It was their third win in five meetings with McGill this season, which finished fourth and closed out their regular league schedule in fourth place at 7-9.

UQAM will host second-placed BIshop's (9-6) in their season-finale on Saturday, a game that will serve as a playoff preview as the two sides will meet again in the other semifinal, in Lennozville, Que. As a result of the loss, the Martlets will now be forced to travel for a mid-week against top-seeded Laval (11-4) in an RSEQ sudden-death semifinal game on Feb. 26.
 
The Citadins led 17-14 after the first quarter. McGill bounced back for a nine-point lead by the mid-way mark of the second stanza but UQAM rebounded for a 30-28 advantage heading into halftime. UQAM won the next quarter 19-15 and took a 49-43 advantage into the final period. McGill rallied to outpoint the visitors 12-9 and only trailed 51-50 with just over six minutes remaining but they wilted in the final minutes.

"I just think we didn't want it as much as they did," said disappointed head coach Ryan Thorne, who guided his troops to a 5-2 record down the stretch after an unlikely 2-7 start to the season. "This game had the possibility that we would miss the playoffs I think that there was some complacency on our part. UQAM was a hungry team, which was down two players (to injury) and I think that they were prepared to battle without those players. We had the (height) advantage inside (under the basket) but we didn't put the ball inside. We're about to go into playoffs and we didn't play for each other. We played individual basketball."
 
Geraldine Cabillo-Abante, a 5-foot-5 guard from St. Laurent, Que., led the Martlets with 11 points.  The physical education senior shot 4-for-9 from the floor and went 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, she also registered three rebounds, three steals and an assist in 32 minutes on the court.
 
Teammate Trishia Villedrouin of Montreal, scored 10 points, to go along with a pair of assists, one rebound and a steal. The economics sophomore went 7-for-8 from the foul-line.
 
The Citadins had two other players reach double-digits, with Roxanne Douaire and Clara Blachier, scoring 13 points apiece.
 
McGill connected on 32.8 per cent of their attempts from the field (19/58), went 5-for-24 from the arc and drained 12 of 17 attempts at the charity stripe. UQAM shot 39 per cent (23/59), drained seven of 16 treys and made only five of 14 from the line.

It was the last home game for five graduating seniors and McGill Principal Suzanne Fortier was on hand to assist Coach Thorne in the post-game tribute to the veterans. The group included Ruth Tshikudi-Tshila, GG Cabillo-Abante, Gladys Hakizimana, Sirah Diarra and Stephanie Mondou.
 
The game featured a scary moment with four minutes remaining in the opening quarter. While going for a rebound, UQAM's Inga Aleksaite appeared to push McGill's Sirah Diarra from behind into teammate Kamsi Ogbudibe and there was a heavy collision on the play, which went unpenalized, as both McGill players tumbled hard to the floor. Both slowly made their way to the bench but eventually returned to play in the second half, with Diarra sporting a bandage on her chin.

The Martlets (7-9) have less than a week to prepare for their playoff rendez-vouz with Laval (11-4). The Rouge et or won three of four meetings with Laval, outscoring them by a 215-182 margin. Laval won the first meeting 43-35 in Montreal (Nov. 7), followed by a surprising 61-60 McGill conquest in Quebec City (Nov. 28), a 57-46 Laval road win (Jan. 8) and a 55-40 for Laval in the provincial capital (Jan. 10).

Tip-off is set for Wednesday (Feb. 26) at 7 p.m. in a game that will be streamed for free.

MARTLET MURMURS: Among the former Martlets alumni on hand to watch the send-off to the seniors was Diana Ros, Sarah Gagne and Rikki Bowles... A third Martlet grad was among the latest group of additions announced earlier in the day to the U SPORTS Top 100 basketball players of all-time... Five-time All-Canadian Vicky Tessier, who starred on the court from 1992 to 1997 and was inducted to the McGill Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, has joined Sylvia Sweeney and Coleen Dufresne on the prestigious list. A new group from each decade will be added every Thursday leading up to the Final Eight national championship tournament in Ottawa, March 5-8.

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