Stingers suffer worst home loss since ’01

The Concordia Stingers men’s basketball team find themselves in a two-game slump following its worst defeat since 2001, getting outscored 31-9 in the fourth quarter and falling to the Laval Rouge et Or 89-66.
The game became an early showcase for Laval center Jean-Phillipe Morin, who opened the match by draining three consecutive three-point shots. Morin, who finished with a game-high 34 points, proved a difficult matchup for the Stingers, despite Concordia having starting center Jamal Gallier back from injury.
“With Morin, you can’t let him get open,” said Stingers head coach John Dore. “Unfortunately we let him get open early and he got nine quick points off of us.”
For much of the first half Morin keyed the Laval attack, amassing twenty-one points in the first two quarters. Concordia was able to stay in the match and head into halftime with a 41-36 lead, thanks to a strong bench performance and good ball distribution from starting point guard Damian Buckley. Eight Stingers were able to score in the first half the offense benefited from a few Laval turnovers to hold the advantage at the end of the second quarter.
The Stingers looked on their way to a victory early in the third quarter but could not keep up their momentum. Gallier opened the frame with a blocked shot and backup forward James Clark hit a pair of baskets to give Concordia a 50-41 lead, its largest of the game with five minutes left in the third. However the Stinger defense could not hold back a late Rouge et Or scoring run, giving up two open three-point shots and a pair of easy inside baskets that gave Laval a one point-lead going into the fourth quarter.
The final frame saw a collapse in Concordia’s defensive play. On consecutive offensive possessions Laval’s Jean-Francois Maheux was left open twice on the left side of the three-point line, and twice Maheaux made the Stingers pay by sinking the bucket. Following a Concordia turnover Maheux found himself again with the ball it the same spot, and despite his shot being contested by a Stinger defender his third-straight three pointer rang true and gave his team a 67-59 advantage.
“Those three’s broke our back,” said Dore. “We made a lot of mistakes from then on; guys have to step up at that point in the game and take it personally.”
The Rouge et Or continued with their excellent second half shooting, hitting ten of seventeen from three-point range and shooting 57 per cent from the field. Concordia’s offence could not find an answer either, and produced a paltry nine points in the entire quarter. Near the two minute mark the Stingers were down by twenty points, much to the delight of the visiting Rouge et Or fans, who applauded their team as the seconds closed on a 89-66 victory.
For the Stingers, the loss was the worst since December 2001 when they were beaten by Laval 86-53. The defeat was one of two pieces of bad news for Concordia. Prior to the game, the team found out that fourth year all-star forward Dwayne Buckley, who had missed all the regular season games so far with a knee injury, will have to undergo surgery and will be gone for the rest of the season.
The win was a big one for Laval, who now takes sole possession of first place in the Quebec conference. The Stingers fall to 4-3 and have dropped from No. 3 in the nation to No. 5 overall, while remaining in third place in Quebec, behind Laval and McGill.
“We’ll take the next two days off, regroup mentally and try to get ready for the rest of the year. As long as we deal with our mental errors then we should be OK,” said Dore.
Concordia’s next game is in two weeks, when they embark on a three-game road trip against Bishop’s, UQAM, and Laval.