SUDBURY, ONT – Rookie
Lily Rose Chatila came off the bench to score a game-high 19 points and
Katerina Stoupas contributed a "double-double" as McGill opened its 104th year of women's basketball with a 68-65 victory over Toronto Metropolitan University at the Laurentian Invitational tournament, Friday, in the Ben Avery Gym.
The win over TMU was the Martlets first season-opening win since the 2017-18 campaign, when they posted a 68-66 decision over Iona College, an NCAA Div. 1 squad from New Rochelle, N.Y. The first women's intercollegiate basketball game in Canada was a 21-16 McGill victory over Queen's on Feb. 6, 1920.
The Martlets led 21-17 after the first quarter and took a 39-31 advantage into halftime. But TMU rallied to create a 47-47 deadlock after three. McGill outlast the Bold 21-18 in the final stanza.
Chatila, a 5-foot-7 guard from Quebec City, shot an impressive 7-for-8 performance from the field, including 3-for-4 from three-point range. The 20-year-old anatomy and cellular biology freshman was 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, in addition to contributing three rounds and a steal.
Stoupas, a Montrealer and first-year transfer from Bishop's, was 6-for-10 shooting from the field, 1-for-1 from the arc and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.
McGill held a 36-32 edge in rebounding and a 42-9 advantage in scoring off the bench. The Martlets shot a solid 47.4 per cent from the field, went 9-for-17 from three-point range and 5-for-12 from the free-throw line. TMU shot 34.4 per cent, went 7-for-21 from long-distance and 16-for-26 from the stripe.
In the other tournament game on Friday, Laurier defeated host Laurentian 53-39. The three-day tourney continues on Saturday, with McGill (1-0) playing Laurier at 4 p.m., followed by the TMU-Laurentian contest at 6 p.m. On Sunday, Laurier confronts TMU at 12 noon, while McGill plays Laurentian at 2 pm.
BOXSCORE
U SPORTS SCOREBOARD
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
CELL:
514-983-7012
E-MAIL:
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
