Stinger women dominate Gaiters

In an aggressive game where both teams struggled to harness their physical and mental energy early on, the Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team ended up imposing their will in a convincing 75-54 win over the Bishop’s Gaiters last Saturday.
After a nerve-racking, photo finish to their one-point victory over McGill just two days earlier, Concordia was happy to get the comfortable win, and to avenge the two losses they had already suffered against Bishop’s this season.
The tone for the game was set early on as both teams looked to dominate in the paint and took turns getting hacked under the basket and wildly scrambling for the ball.
Guard/forward Rosie Douglas took the initiative for the Stingers by scoring the team’s first six points with penetrating drives to the hoop, but that didn’t stop the Gaiters from opening up a seven point lead.
With bodies charging all over the court, guard Pascale Morin drew a couple of offensive fouls away from the basket to give Concordia possession of the ball and help close the gap.
Douglas went on to tie things up at 15 apiece, and Valerie Bain gave the Stingers their first lead a few seconds later.
The Stingers held on to the advantage going to the locker room with a 30-26 lead at the half, while the crowd was left wondering whether this would be another down-to-the-wire battle.
The answer came almost immediately, as the Stingers came out with their “A” game to start the second half, opening up a double-digit lead that they maintained until the end.
Having settled down mentally, the team went to work by applying strong defensive pressure, taking better care of the ball offensively, rebounding well at both ends, and going on a lethal stealing spree.
Trailing by 17 points and trying to find a way to solve their opposition’s defence, the Gaiters called a time-out midway through the half, but it didn’t slow the Stingers down in their relentless pursuit of the ball.
“The Gaiters are tough” stated Stinger coach Keith Pruden. “They always go after the ball. That’s how they beat us before, and I think we finally understood we have to do the same.”
On Saturday, it was the Stingers who were too tough, as a disconcerted Gaiters team broke down defensively and committed frustration fouls away from the basket.
With the victory as good as sealed, Concordia’s starters got a well-deserved rest in the last few minutes, as the bench came in and continued the good work.
Indeed, it was a well-balanced team effort.
The Stingers got good production from everyone, including guard and co-captain Jennifer Neill, who came back from a one-game layoff due to minor surgery to make several big defensive plays throughout the game.
Having succumbed to the Stingers’ intensity, the Gaiters made a few half-hearted three-point attempts late in the game, but seemed resigned to fold up their tents and go home.
So what triggered this dominant performance by Pruden’s troops after two straight losses to the Gaiters? “Maybe they got sick of underperforming,” he mused. “I know I did.”
Pruden also offered his take on the playoff picture for his team:
“We need to play defence like we did today.
“There’s still room for improvement, but I’m happy with our progression.”