After a 0-3 start to the regular season, the Concordia Stingers men’s basketball team came out strong in a 77-70 win over the Laval Rouge et Or last Friday night at home.
The Stingers won the tipoff to start the game and scored the first point of the first quarter on a foul shot by Stingers’ forward Zach Brisebois. Stingers forward Mukiya Post gave Concordia a 3-0 lead with a successful jump shot three minutes into the quarter. After another jump shot by Post, Laval responded with a three-pointer by guard Karl Demers-Belanger to tie the game up at five apiece.
After the Rouge et Or took a 11-10 lead past the midway mark of the quarter, the Stingers went on to score six straight points to regain the lead. With 2:21 left, Brisebois stole the ball and with no Rouge et Or player in front of him, he decided to jump to the hoop for an easy layup. With nine seconds left in the quarter, Post shot a field goal to give the Stingers a 19-15 lead.
In the second quarter, Laval was able to tie the game at 19 with two consecutive jump shots by centre Boris Hadzimuratovic. Stingers guard Evan Gill came off the bench and electrified the crowd with a three pointer to give Concordia a 29-27 lead with 4:16 left in the quarter.
Gill then tied the game up at 31 with just over a minute left in the quarter after a nice give-and-go between him and guard Adam Chmielewski. Laval held onto the ball in the last minute but could not find the right shot to make. Concordia led 33-31 going into halftime.
Post got the first basket of the second half to put the Stingers up 35-31. Rouge et Or responded quickly with a two pointer of their own. Stingers forward Michael Fosu scored two straight baskets. A beautiful passing display by Chmielewski on a give-and-go with Post ended in missed basket by Post. However, Post was able to pick up his own rebound and score a two-pointer. The Stingers were in front 57-45 at the end of the third quarter.
Laval started the fourth with the ball and capitalized early with a two pointer by Belanger. Stingers responded with a three-pointer by guard Jean-Andre Moussignac. Moussignac then had a breakaway and made an easy layup. Chmielewski ended the game with a late three pointer as the Stingers won their first game of the season 77-70.
“The guys competed hard and did not lose focus,” head coach John Dore said. “[They] played for the whole forty minutes [and] moved the ball well.”
Note: Brisebois had nine rebounds in the win. Post was the Stingers leading scorer with 21 points in the victory and five rebounds. Both teams had players in their starting lineups that had double-digit points. Hadzimuratovic led the Rouge et Or with 14 points in the loss. Post, Fosu and Brisebois each finished the game with double-digit points. Fosu had 10 points and five rebounds in the victory.
-With files from Samantha Mileto
