MONTREAL- Jamal Mayali registered a game-high 24 points and three teammates tallied in double-digits as McGill University defeated the Bishop's Gaiters 83-58 in RSEQ men's basketball at the team's annual beach night basketball game at Love Competition Hall, Thursday. It also marked the exact 116th anniversary of McGill's first-ever hoops game, a low-scoring 9-7 overtime victory against Queen's on Feb. 6, 1904 in Kingston, Ont.
 
McGill, which snapped a three-game losing streak, improved to 9-4, while fourth-place Bishop's fell to 5-7. The McGillians continue to sit atop the rankings in the five-team Quebec league with only three games remaining.
 
McGill held a 26-19 advantage in the first quarter, although the Gaiters came out strong in the second to tie it at 37-37 heading into half-time.
 
"We made some defensive adjustments at the half, we tried to limit some of the things they were doing," said McGill bench boss David DeAveiro, whose squad reclaimed their lead with 46-21 whipping in the second half. "I thought those adjustments worked well for us".
 
Mayali, a 6-foot-4 guard from Toronto, played a game-high of 33 minutes. The political science junior shot 10-for-17 from the floor, making two of seven treys. He was a perfect 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, added five rebounds and three steals.
 
Junior guard Sam Jenkins of Hamilton, Ont., collected 14 points in 31 minutes of play. The 6-foot-5 physical education student shot 3-for-6 from the field, 3-for-5 from the line and made five of six freebies.
 
Others to reach double figures in scoring for McGill were Montrealers Quarry Whyne and Levi Londole.  Whyne, an economics sophomore, scored 13 points, including a 3-for-3 performance from the free-throw line. Londole, a 6-foot-8 senior, tallied 11 points, six rebounds and a pair of steals.
 
Bishop's was led by Joany Castor-Thadal (11 pts) and Nervens Demosthene (9 pts).
 
McGill, which shot 33.3 per cent from both, the field (20/60) and from downtown (11/33), went 7-for-10 from the free-throw line. The Gaiters shot 49.2 per cent from the field (31/63), 34.6 from beyond the arc (9/26), and went 12-for-18 from the charity stripe.
 
""At this time of year, it's not about grinding out," said DeAveiro. "Some of our guys aren't sleeping because they are up all night studying for mid-terms, so we have to be smart.After (losing the recent) two-game series against Concordia, we took three days off to let our guys heal up a bit and focus on school."
 
The rivals meet again in less than 48 hours, as McGill travels to Lennoxville, Que. on Saturday (Feb. 8), with tip-off set for 8 p.m., following the women's game.
 
"We will look at the video and see what worked, what didn't, and if our adjustments actually made a difference in the second half," noted DeAveiro. "Bishop's is a tough place to play... and everybody plays better at home."

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