MONTREAL – Delphine Robitaille of Longueuil, Que., scored a dramatic fourth quarter long-distance buzzer-beater to tie the game but it was not enough as Bishop's overpowered McGill 77-69 in double overtime to claim a heated confrontation at Love Competition Hall, Thursday. The date marked the exact 100th anniversary of the first-ever intercollegiate women's basketball game in Canada, a 21-16 McGill victory over Queen's in Montreal on Feb. 6, 1920.

The result, which featured nine lead changes, catapulted BU into a tie with Laval atop the RSEQ standings at 8-4 and clinched a playoff berth for the second time in three years.  It also halted the Martlets win streak at three and dropped their record to 5-8. With three games remaining before the post-season, McGill is now perched precariously in the fourth and final playoff spot, two points ahead of last-place Concordia (4-8), which holds a game in hand.

It marked McGill's first double overtime contest in three years, dating back to a 79-76 win against Laval on February 23, 2017.
 
McGill led 27-24 at halftime and had a comfortable 35-26 lead early in the third quarter but Bishop's fought back to take a 42-40 edge by the end of the frame.
 
The Gaiters then took control and constructed an eight-point cushion with 5:23 remaining in regulation but McGill roared back with a pair of treys in the frantic final seconds as GG Cabillo-Abante narrowed the gap to 54-50 with 20 seconds left, followed by a Gaiters bucket. Robitaille then nailed her buzzer-beater at the eleventh hour to make it 56-56.
 
Both teams scored seven points apiece in the first extra five-minute frame but the Gaiters outscored the home team 14-6 in the final stretch.

Argentine Amaiquen Siciliano sank a key three for Bishop's with 1:45 remaining in the first overtime to tie the game at 63-63 but McGill's Gladys Hakizimana was unable to break the deadlock with a last second shot.

In the second extra period, the Martlets struggled offensively as Jael Kabunda led the Bishop's comeback, sinking two three-pointers before Siciliano sealed the victory with a free-throw at the final whistle. Kabunda tallied six points in the final session to finish with a game-high 21.
 
It was a tense affair as 41 personal fouls were called, including 26 on McGill, which had two key starters foul out late. Sirah Diarra collected her fifth foul late in regulation and Cabillo-Abante was tossed in the first overtime. Bishop's went to the foul line 27 times, compared to 12 for McGill, where the Gaiters outscored the hosts 17-11. The Gaiters had one player foul out in Deborah Aboagye.

Cabillo-Abante, a 5-foot-5 guard from St. Laurent, Que., paced McGill's offence with 16 points. The physical education senior was 7-for-14 from the floor and sank two of her three long-range attempts. She also pulled down four rebounds and one assist.
 
Robitaille, a third-year transfer from the University of Central Florida, came off the bench to score eight points, including another three-pointer in the final overtime period. She shot 3-for-7 from the field, added two rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes of court time.
 
Four players reached double figures for the visitors. Joining Kabunda was Siciliano (19 pts), Metchline Gabelus (15), and Deborah Aboagye (10). Siciliano also led all players with a draining 48 minutes of court-time.
 
McGill, which had a 49-41 margin in rebounds and 3-1 advantage in blocks, shot 32 per cent from the field (24/75) and 37 from the arc (10/27). Meanwhile Bishop's, which benefited from a 15-9 edge in steals, shot 30.6 from the floor (26/85) and 22.2 from downtown (8/36).
 
The Martlets will get a second crack at Bishop's (8-4) when they travel east for a rematch on Saturday (Feb. 8) at 6 p.m. Then Mcgill will close out the regular season schedule with home games against Concordia (Feb. 15) and UQAM (Feb. 20).

MARTLET MURMURS: Sylvia Sweeney and Coleen Dufresne, two Canadian Olympians who played at McGill, are among the Top 100 women's basketball players of the century. The first group of the Top 100 was revealed on Thursday by U SPORTS, the national brand of the university sports in Canada, to mark the 100th anniversary of the first Canadian university women's contest. LINK TO MORE DETAILS.

BOXSCORE

RSEQ STANDINGS & STATS