Concordia won all three games on their way to their tournament victory this weekend
The Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team entered the Concordia Classic tournament with big expectations and did not disappoint, winning all three games in dominant fashion. The Stingers were crowned champions when they beat the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 62-41.
“We played well but it’s still very early in the season,” Stingers assistant coach Natasha Eadie said. “We will celebrate then let it go and it’s on to the next one.”
Three players from the Stingers, forward Richelle Grégoire, forward Marvia Dean and guard Caroline Task were named to the Concordia Classic all-star team. Dean took home the most valuable player award.
Dean was a force throughout the tournament on both sides of the court. The freshman credited her teammates and the amount work she put in training camp for the award.
Task, another first year player, did very well providing steady offence for the Stingers. She finished the tournament averaging 13 points per game, shooting 7 for 16 from the three-point line.
“We’re very pleased with the newcomers,” Eadie said. “It’s a jump in the caliber of basketball and they are adjusting very well.”
None of the teams the Stingers faced posed a threat as they collectively maintained a field goal shooting average of only 31 per cent for the entire tournament. The Stingers showcased their depth as a team, something that was missing last season. They were overwhelmingly defensive and were able to create turnovers which led to more points on the board.
The Stingers opened their tournament against the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) Panthers. Last year’s Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) leading scorer, Grégoire put up seven of her game high 21 points in the first quarter, helping the team to a 19-13 lead after one quarter of play. However, with six minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Panthers cut the deficit to three, making it a 24-21 game.
This was the closest the Panthers would get to tie the game as the Stingers relied on their defense to pull away and won the game 72-51.
“We were very intense, we want to run with the ball and you can’t run [with] it when your defense is not tight,” Stingers head coach Tenicha Gittens said.
The hosts put forth their best effort in the second game when they faced the University of Guelph Gryphons. The Stingers dominated every phase of the game en route to a 68-39 win. The Gryphons had no answer for Dean who went 8 for 12 from the field for a game-high 19 points. She also grabbed 13 rebounds adding two blocks and four steals. The Stingers had everybody contributing offensively and held the Gryphons to 16 points in the first half.
The Stingers played the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees in the finals. Much like Guelph and UPEI, the Gee-Gees were unable to find a way to stop the Stingers. After a scrappy first five minutes of gameplay, the match broke open when Task scored after receiving a full-court outlet pass from guard Jazlin Barker to give the Stingers a 17-10 lead.
The Stingers then went on an 8-0 run to start the second quarter and never looked back, winning 62-41. Grégoire and Dean led the charge with 13 points each, leading the team to a Concordia Classic victory.
According to Eadie, the tournament win shows the team is close to where they want to be for the beginning of the regular season on Nov. 10.
“We’re still preparing but once the season starts we will be ready to go that’s for sure,” said Eadie.
The Stingers will play their next game on Oct. 21 at Carleton University in the first game of the McKeen Metro Glebe Tournament.
