MONTREAL –
Coralie Dumont scored 27 points and
Caroline Task added 21 as Concordia defeated McGill 89-52 to open regular season play in women's basketball at Love Competition Hall, on Thursday night.
The visiting Stingers set the tone early, leading 21-11 through 10 minutes and 53-27 at the half. Turnovers were the story of the night, as the crimson and gold consistently converted steals into points, outscoring the home side 37-9 on free possessions. Concordia also managed to earn 30 trips to the line, converting 24, while McGill went 6-for-8 from the charity stripe.
Leading the charge for Concordia were the inside-outside combination of
Dumont and
Task, neither of whom the Martlets had an answer for.
Dumont, a 6-foot-1 forward added six rebounds and was punishing down low, with an efficient 10-for-12 shooting rate from the floor.
Task, a push-the-tempo, fifth-year guard, finished with 21 points including an 8-for-9 effort from the line, attacking the rim consistently with great success.
For McGill,
Joy Taan-Tobias of Montreal scored a team-best 11 points off the bench to pace a very young squad, one that featured eight rookies on the opening night roster, with three of five starters in their first season. The 5-foot-3 guard looked at home in her first taste of regular-season action, shooting 4-for-7 from the floor. She was also credited with one rebound and an assist.
Charlotte Guerin of Lyon, France also looked solid in her McGill debut. The six-foot centre totaled eight points on 80 per cent shooting from the field, with five boards and two steals.
They were among 10 different Martlets on the scoresheet.
It was
Rikki Bowles first regular-season game heading up the program after 13 years as a player and assistant coach with the team.
"We have such a young group, it's going to take a while for us to adjust to the physicality and pace of the game," said Bowles. "I thought
Katie Rathwell did a nice job looking to attack, and
Charlotte did some solid work around the basket.
Joy is someone who can be a spark off the bench for us, hit some shots, and that's exactly what she did tonight."
Rathwell, a freshman from North Battleford, Sask., saw 17 minutes of court time and contributed five points with three rebounds and a pair of assists.
"When we can slow it down and get into more of a half-court, 5-on-5 game we're more effective, particularly on the defensive end," added Bowles. "We did a nice job for long stretches in the slower parts of the game, now we need to focus on limiting those easy buckets in transition."
Next up, McGill (0-1) will look to bounce back on November 18 when they head across town to play UQAM (0-0).
BOX SCORE
RSEQ STATS & STANDINGS
SOURCE:
Zachary McRae
Communications Officer
McGill Athletics & Recreation
514.616.5573 (Tel.)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
zachary.mcrae@mcgill.ca
