Both the men and the women blew out Bishops on Feb. 4
It was a winning night for Stingers basketball on Feb. 4 as both teams picked up wins over the Bishop’s Gaiters. The women’s team captured their third win of the season with a blowout victory, 80-51 while the men’s team captured their fifth win in a row by a score of 72-53.
The Stingers women’s basketball team started the game hot as they went on a 5-0 run to start the game. The Gaiters’ only points of the quarter came on a three-pointer by guard Noemie Hamel-Petit. The Stingers continued to dominate in the quarter as they had a commanding 15-3 lead at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter started with a bang for the Stingers as shooting guard Marie-Eve Martin hit back to back three-pointers to start the quarter. The Stingers continued to dominate as they scored 21 points in the second quarter to increase their lead to 36-16 at halftime. The Gaiters ended the second quarter with three-pointers by guard Joy-Celine Bermillo and forward Charlene Pettigrew.
The third quarter started with two free-throws by point guard Tamara Pinard-Devos. Richelle Gregoire took full control of the game, scoring nine of her 19 points in the quarter. The third quarter ended with the Stingers ahead by 30 points, 59-29.
The Gaiters got the first points of the final quarter on a basket by Hamel-Petit. The Stingers continued to increase their big lead thanks to a 6-0 run early in the quarter. Stingers shooting guard Aurelie d’Anjou Drouin had a big quarter as she hit back to back three-pointers en route to what would be eight points in the quarter. D’Anjou Drouin finished the game with 14 points.
Richelle Gregoire was the leading scorer in the game with 19 points and nine rebounds.
The Stingers forced Bishop’s to commit 25 turnovers. “We were aggressive on the jump which set the tempo for the game,” Stingers coach Tenicha Gittens said. “Defensively we got a lot of steals which allowed us to speed up the game a bit.”
On the men’s side, the Stingers scored the first points of the game off of a basket by guard Jaleel Webb. The two teams then matched each other shot for shot which led to the game being tied twice. In the end, the Stingers took a 12-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Stingers scored first off of free-throws by forward Michael Fosu. The Gaiters halfway through the quarter went on a 6-0 run which made it a three point game at 21-18. Webb replied with a run of his own, scoring seven straight points. The Stingers led 36-27 at halftime.
The second half started with points from Stingers forward Schneiders Suffrard. The third quarter was an exciting one for Stingers fans as forward Ken Beaulieu electrified the crowd with three slam dunks. These were important moments because it occurred when the Gaiters were closing in on the Stingers lead. The Stingers ended the quarter leading 56-40 after two late three-pointers by forwards, Fosu and Jean Daniel-Mathieu.
The Gaiters scored the first points of the fourth quarter off of a basket by forward David Belanger. At times, both teams struggled to put up points in the quarter. With two minutes left, the Stingers went on a 6-0 run which secured the victory.
According to Stingers Coach Rastko Popovic, the team had a lot to work on despite the large margin of victory.
“We had 24 turnovers which is way too much, it was poor decision making on our part,” Popovic said. “We had a big lead today, a couple times we gave it up. We need to learn how to put teams away when we are up 19 points.”
Fosu had a double-double in the win with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
“I had a chip on my shoulder because the first game, I was fouled out,” Fosu said. “I think I needed to be the key offensive player today to make sure we won the game.”
Both Stingers teams will take on the Laval Rouge et Or on Feb. 11 at home.
