MONTREAL – Jamal Mayali scored a game-high 27 points and teammate Haris Elezovic registered a double-double as the visiting McGill Redbirds eked out an 85-82 overtime victory over UQAM in a men's basketball thriller at the Centre Sportif, Thursday.

It might not have been the Game of Thrones but it may forever be remembered as the Game of Treys, with both teams combining for 22 threes, split evenly.

McGill exploded out of the gate, taking a 20-13 lead after the opening quarter. But the Citadins responded in kind, winning the second stanza 23-8, which sent them into halftime with a 36-28 lead. The inter-city rivals each tallied 22 in the third quarter but McGill was all business the rest of the way, winning the fourth quarter 24-16 and the extra session 11-8.

Sam Jenkins, a senior from Hamilton, Ont., who played 42 minutes, forced overtime by making a three with 10 seconds remaining in regulation. He finished with 19 points, five rebounds and five assists. Teammate Cameron Elliot had a chance to win it in regulation with a buzzer-beater but his trey attempt went astray. The junior from Ottawa finished with six points and seven rebounds.

Mayali, a 6-foot-1 guard from Toronto who played 37 of the 45 minutes, shot 8-for-19 from the field, including a sparkling 6-for-13 effort from long-distance. The fifth-year political science senior also went 5-for-9 from the free-throw line, to go along with four rebounds, three steals, one blocked shot and three assists.

Elzovic, a finance sophomore from Sherbrooke, Que., provided a strong supporting cast with 22 points and 10 rebounds in 39 minutes of playing time. The 6-foot-8 forward was 7-for-11 from the floor and 8-for-11 from the line. He added one steal, a block and one assist.

Three members of the Citadins reached double digits in a losing cause, led by Samuel Cayo with 21 points, making a half-dozen threes. The other two both recorded double-doubles, namely Alix Lochard (18 pts, 12 rbs) and Frantson Demosthene (13 pts, 12 rbs).

The Redbirds shot 41.8 per cent from the floor (28/67) and drained 11 of 29 attempts from downtown. They made 18 of 29 from the line.

UQAM shot only 36.7 from the field (29/79). They went 11-for-31 from the arc and dropped 13 of 17 from the charity stripe. The Citadins had the advantage in rebounds (42-39), steals (17-10) and turnovers (23-21). Both sides were credited with five blocked shots.

McGill, which leads the RSEQ conference with a 2-0 record, will host Bishop's (1-1) on Saturday at Love Competition Hall. The women will tip-off at 4 p.m., followed by the men's game at 6 p.m. The Citadins (1-1) are off until Nov. 25 when they play at Bishop's.

A TOUCH OF CLASS: In a haunting pre-game ceremony, the Citadins held a moment of silence in memory of Véronique Laberge, their former sports information officer, who died on Aug. 16 from cancer. She was only 36. In a darkened gymnasium, a bright spotlight was fixated on a white rose perched upon the stool that the 2008 graduate of Université Laval had used while calling play-by-play of UQAM games since 2009. 

BOXSCORE

RSEQ STATS & STANDINGS


SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012 (Off.)
m.athletics.mcgill.ca (mobile website)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca