With a perfect 3-0 record and having won in the Carleton tournament, the Stingers were looking to continue their winning streak into the regular season, but fell to the UQAM Citadins 53-42 in their first game back in Montreal.
The game started the wrong way for the Stingers as they lost the tip off and had two early turnovers that led to six unanswered points for the Citadins. The Stingers only got their first points with eight minutes left in the first quarter; a two-pointer by Marilyse Roy-Viau. Roy-Viau provided the wake up call that the Stingers needed as they scored seven unanswered points, which was highlighted by a three-pointer by Roy-Viau.
The first quarter ended with a two-pointer by Stingers guard Tamara Pinard-Devos with 0.6 seconds left. The score was 15-14 for Concordia.
The Stingers began the second quarter by scoring two early baskets by Roy-Viau and forward Richelle Gregoire. At the 7:50 mark, the Citadins get their first points of the quarter with a two pointer by centre Camille Michaud. UQAM then followed with eight unanswered points.
Concordia had two nice baskets in this quarter; the first one saw guard Kaylah Barrett dribbling to the basket unguarded. The second basket resulted from a give-and-go between Viau and Barrett. At halftime, the score was 29-21 for the Stingers.
The Citadins were on the board first in the third quarter, scoring on two foul shots. Viau and Barrett responded quickly by each getting two points. The Stingers had a chance to extend their lead but a couple of turnovers lead to several UQAM baskets. The Citadins ended up tying the game up at 37 with a foul shot by guard Janice Quintos shortly before the third quarter ended.
The Stingers started with the ball in the fourth quarter, but their possession ended in turnover. The early turnover would be a costly one as Michaud got a basket to take the lead but Concordia responded with a two-pointer by Gregoire.
The Citadins then closed the door on any potential comeback with a couple of three-pointers in the final quarter. The final score was 53-42 for UQAM.
Concordia’s best player of the game was Marilyse Roy-Viau, who had 18 points in the loss. Camille Michaud was UQAM’s best player of the game, scoring a total of 16 points. Concordia only scored 13 points in the second half compared to UQAM who scored 32 points.
“We had mental breakdown, we’re a high powered offence [in the Canadian Interuniversity Sports] and to score 13 points in second half isn’t good enough,” said head coach Keith Pruden.
Pruden believed that the environment and the pressure of being a high ranked team played a huge factor in the loss.
