LENNOXVILLE, QUE – Daniella Mbengo scored a game-high 18 points and Seyna Diggs contributed a double-double but it was insufficient as the third-seeded McGill women's basketball team concluded its season with a disappointing 63-59 setback to second-place Bishop's in an RSEQ sudden-death conference semifinal, Wednesday.
 
The Gaiters punched their ticket to Saturday's league championship game against top-seeded Laval, which disposed of fourth-place Concordia 80-53 in the other women's semifinal.
 
McGill, which had a 42-37 edge in rebounding, went to the foul line only nine times and came away with six baskets. By comparison, the Gaiters went 13-for-22 from the charity stripe.
 
In a game that featured nine lead changes, BU led 12-11 after the opening quarter, 30-23 at halftime and 47-38 after three. McGill won the final stanza 21-16 but ran out of time.
 
Mbengo, a social work junior from Montreal, shot 8-for-18 from the field and went 2-for-2 from the line. She added four rebounds, three assists and a steal while playing a team-high 37 minutes.
 
Diggs, an Arts sophomore from Montreal, tallied a dozen points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
 
Laurie Lafleur paced Bishop's with 15 points, while Victoria Gaina added a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

McGill shot 35.8 per cent from the floor (24/67), including a 5-for-20 effort from the three-point arc. The Gaiters shot 36.7 per cent (22/60) and went 6-for-23 from distance.
 
Their Martlets finished their 105th year of operation with a 13-12 record overall, including a 9-7 third-place standing in the RSEQ conference. It was the team's first regular season over the .500 plateau since going 10-6 in 2018-19. The Martlets featured a young roster that was composed of three freshmen, five sophomores, one junior and four seniors. Only two veterans are expected to graduate, namely Katerina Stoupas and Emma-Jane Scotten.
 
Stoupas, a 6-foot-1 centre from Montreal, is completing a master's degree in teaching and learning. She has been with the team for the past two seasons after transferring from Bishop's. She played in 46 McGill games overall and scored 209 points with 274 rebounds.
 
Scotten; a 5-foot-9 guard from Ottawa, is graduating with an education degree in global contexts. She has been with the team for five years but has only consumed four years of eligibility due to the canceled COVID season. She has played in 86 games overall and scored 763 points to go along with 343 rebounds and 175 assists.
 
BOXSCORE

RSEQ STATS & STANDINGS
 
U SPORTS STANDINGS
 
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
McGill Athletics and Recreation
(514) 983- 7012
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
www.mcgillathletics.ca