The Concordia women’s basketball team was dealt a crushing blow by cross-town rivals McGill last Friday, losing 72-60 and seriously harming their playoff chances.
The Lady Bees jumped out of the gates with a 6-0 early lead thanks to guard Jill Verhesen, calmly executing on both ends of the court. They maintained the upper hand for most of the half, at one point leading by nine.
But the Martlets were resilient and clawed back to tie up the game, ending the half with a buzzer-beater by Nathifa Weekes, to tie the game at 26 – 26.
The second half was a different story, as the Martlets came out of the locker room playing some inspired basketball. Anneth Him-Lazarenko was a dominant force in the paint with 12 points while Marie-Eve Martin led the way for the Martlets, contributing four three-pointers and 22 points.
The Lady Bees were unable to provide an answer for McGill’s offensive strategy and struggled in giving up offensive rebounds and unforced turnovers. While Concordia was able to cut the lead to seven late in the game, two quick threes by McGill’s Elise Lepine sealed the deal.
Kristin Portwine and Verhesen led the way for the Stingers, scoring 17 and 13 points respectively.
The loss dropped Concordia to 4-9, tying them with Bishop’s (who have three games in hand) and leaving them four points behind McGill with only three games remaining in the season.
