QUEBEC CITY –
Sabrine Khelifi scored a game-high 15 points as Laval defeated visiting McGill 75-42 in an RSEQ conference sudden-death women's basketball semifinal at the Amphithéâtre Desjardins, Wednesday.
The result was a 24th consecutive victory for the top-seeded Rouge et Or and a ninth straight setback for the Martlets. The Rouge et Or will host Bishop's in Saturday's league championship game. The second-place Gaiters advanced after defeating third-seeded Concordia 77-67 in Wednesday's other semifinal.
Laval came out on fire and held a commanding 21-8 advantage after the opening quarter. But McGill bounced back to win the second stanza 20-15, narrowing the deficit to eight points at halftime. The host team, however, took a vice-like grip in the second half, winning the third quarter 15-7 and the final stanza 24-7.
Lily Rose Chatila and
Stephy Tchoukuiegno tallied eight points apiece to lead McGill, while teammates
Seyna Diggs and
Kristy Awikeh each added six. Diggs, who led the Martlets in rebounding with six, fouled out. It was the 64th and final game in a McGill uniform for Awikeh, the team's only graduating player. A native of Aleppo, in Syria, the 24-year-old science senior finished with 253 career points and 270 rebounds overall.
The Martlets, assessed 18 personal fouls compared to Laval's 12, were limited to a season-low two trips to the foul line, where they went 1-for-2. It was the team's fewest attempts since going 2-for-2 at Laval on Jan. 21, 2023 and fewest shots made from the stripe since going 0-for-3 at UQAM on Nov. 17, 2022.
Laval, by comparison, shot a sizzling 17-for-21 from the stripe. They went 4-for-12 from three-point range and shot 41.5 per cent from the field (27/65). The Martlets went 7-for-25 from downtown and shot 27 per cent from the floor (17/63).
It was a disappointing conclusion for a young Martlets squad that finished with a 10-14 overall, including a 5-11 fourth-place finish in the five-team Quebec league. The team roster was composed of nine first-year players, two sophomores, three juniors and a pair of seniors.
BOXSCORE
RSEQ STANDINGS & STATS
SOURCE
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-983-7012 (cell.)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
