QUEBEC CITY – Lea Dominique and Marie-Pier Champagne scored 14 and 13 points, respectively as Laval defeated visiting McGill 68-49 in women's basketball in the provincial capital on Saturday.

Freshman Iman Ibrahim of Montreal, scored a game-high 15 points in a losing cause for the Martlets, who dropped to 0-8.

The Rouge et Or moved into a tie for first place in the RSEQ conference with Concordia. Both teams own 5-3 records.

McGill battled hard in the first half and went into the locker room knotted at 33-33 but with limited personnel on the bench – four fewer players than Laval – the Martlets ran out of steam and scored only 16 the rest of the way.  The Rouge et Or clamped down defensively early in the third quarter outscoring McGill 26-8. The final stanza was a defensive struggle, with the Rouge et Or prevailing by a 9-8 margin.

Laval's Dominique paced the home side, shooting 6-for-8 from the floor, while Champagne provided solid support, adding a pair of triples and two steals. The Rouge et Or had a balanced attack, with nine players finding the scoresheet and 11 of them earning at least a dozen minutes of court time.
 
Ibrahim, who shot 6-for-13 from the field, was a bright spot throughout the night for McGill, getting to the basket in transition and bringing a solid defensive effort with a season-high five steals.

Teammate Maddy Colpitts of Fredericton, N.B., added 11 points. Rounding out the scoring for McGill was Emma-Jane Scotten of Ottawa, with eight points, plus Sydney Foran (6), Amelie Rochon (4), Kristy Awikeh (3) and Charlotte Guerin (2).

The Martlets shot a season-high 48 per cent from the field, draining 17 of 49 attempts. They also played a more aggressive style, getting to the foul-line 17 times and converting 10. 

McGill (0-8) now has a bye week to work on improving their game before heading to Lennoxville, where they will confront Bishop's (4-2) on March 12 in a 4 p.m., tip-off at the Mitchel Gymnasium.
 
BOX SCORE
 
RSEQ STATS & STANDINGS
 

SOURCE:
Zachary McRae
Communications Officer
McGill Athletics & Recreation
514.616.5573 (Tel.)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
zachary.mcrae@mcgill.ca