MONTREAL –
Areej Burgonio, a senior from Toronto, scored 30 points and grabbed seven rebounds as Concordia defeated McGill 75-58 in a must-win game for both teams in RSEQ women's basketball at Love Competition Hall, Saturday.
With one game remaining on the calendar, Concordia (4-11) clinched the fourth and final playoff berth in the RSEQ conference. McGill (3-12) can still tie their cross-town rivals but the Stingers hold the head-to-head tie-breaker with three wins in four meetings.
In a game that featured 10 lead changes, the Martlets took a 17-15 advantage into the second quarter but were outscored 23-9 as Concordia went into halftime ahead by a 38-26 margin. The Stingers slowly pulled away, winning the third stanza 18-14 and then the final quarter 19-18.
Freshman guard
Stephy Tchoukuiegno of St. Laurent, Que., came off the bench to pace the Martlets with 15 points on 5-for-9 shooting and a 3-for-5 effort from the line. Montrealer
Daniella Mbengo, also a rookie, added 10 points and five rebounds.
It marked the final home game for two McGill veterans, namely
Amelie Rochon, in her fourth year of medical school, and
Jessica Salanon, a management senior.
Rochon, a 6-foot-3 centre from Levis, Que., scored eight points, half of which came from a 4-for-8 performance at the line, and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. Salanon, a 5-foot-5 guard from Ile-Perrot, Que., had seven points and six rebounds in 17 minutes of court-time before fouling out.
The Martlets won the rebounding battle 38-26 but committed 20 turnovers to Concordia's 10. The Stingers shot a solid 47.4 per cent from the field (27/57), compared to McGill's 32.8 success rate (21/64). The Stingers went 5-for-20 from long-distance and drained 16 of 24 from the free-throw line. The Martlets went 4-for-29 and 12-for-21, respectively.
Both teams will conclude regular season play with a 2 p.m. tip-off on Feb. 25, when Concordia hosts second-place Laval (9-6) and McGill plays at UQAM (8-6), which sits third in the RSEQ conference.
BOXSCORE
RSEQ STATS & STANDINGS
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012 (Tel.)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
