Concordia manages to edge-out Bishop’s with a 86-84 performance in a nail-biting finish
Thursday’s game between the Stingers and the Gaiters was a thriller which needed overtime to find a winner. In the end, the Stingers prevailed and squeaked out a 86-84 victory. The Stingers played without two of their key players: guard Mukiya Post and forward Mike Fosu were both out with injuries. However, rookie point guard Ricardo Monge led the charge and scored a career high 23 points.
The Stingers got the first points of the game on a basket by center Jean-Louis Wayna, but the Gaiters captured the early momentum, responding with a 7-0 run. The Stingers would tie the game three times: once at 12, once at 16, and again at 18-18. From the start, both teams knew that they were in for a close battle. In the first quarter, Concordia did an excellent job shooting three-pointers, Monge, forward Ken Beaulieu and forward Xander Jean all had threes in the opening quarter.
The Gaiters scored the first points of the second quarter on free throws by guard Kyle Desmarais. However, the Stingers started the second quarter on a hot streak, going on a 7-0 run of their own. Concordia went into halftime leading the game 38-33, but the back-and-forth tempo was sure to set up an exciting second half.
Concordia took control of the third quarter, and at one point they led by 12 points after a 9-0 run. Like they had all game, Bishop’s did not back down: by the time the third quarter ended, they had cut the Stingers’ lead to seven points, 61-54.
The fourth quarter was dominated by the Gaiters and the Stingers lost their lead. The Gaiters scored the first points of the fourth quarter on a basket by Majid Naji which started a 6-0 run for the team. With just over four minutes left, Bishop’s tied the game at 65. The two teams exchanged baskets for the rest of regulation and Concordia had the lead entering the final minute of play. Then Naji hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 73 with 23 seconds left.
The Stingers started overtime with an arcing three-pointer by Monge. Desmarais continued to power the Gaiters offense and responded with a two-pointer. With just over a minute left, the Stingers took a one point led on a basket by forward Matt McLean. Stingers forwards Gabe Riche and Wayna got two late baskets to ensure the victory.
