The Concordia Women’s basketball team dropped to 0-3 this weekend, losing to McGill last Thursday and Laval on Saturday.
The Stingers lost to the McGill Martlets 64-52 at McGill’s Donald Love Competition Hall.
McGill led the Stingers after every quarter and fed the ball to their point guard Christine Kennedy, who had a game-high seventeen points. The Stinger’s high scorers were Yasmin Jean-Phillipe with thirteen points, Adele Allison with twelve points and Heather Eason with eleven.
The Martlets outside shooters and strong drives below the net started to wear down Concordia’s defence by the second quarter. McGill’s guards breaking down to the net drew fouls and the Stingers faced a very physical man-to-man defensive press. Concordia struggled with rebounding both on offence and on defence allowing McGill put up two or three shots every drive.
After the first half the Stingers trailed 34-27. The team was on a positive roll before halftime, holding McGill to four points in two minutes. However, in the last minute of the first half, the Martlets dominated both offensively and defensively.
The mood coming back from halftime was apparent. McGill came back to the floor for warm-up with energy and support while Concordia looked sluggish and defeated. “That difference could describe the entire game,” said Head Coach Keith Pruden. “Our intensity was low, all McGill had to do was take advantage of it.”
The third quarter was especially problematic for the Stingers; letting McGill go with nine unanswered points. Concordia didn’t score their first basket until the fourth minute. The Stinger’s offence moved the ball around the top of the key and was driving to the basket well, but the Martlet players were winning under the boards and the physical matches.
In the last quarter, Concordia finally found their energy and competivness; diving for lose balls and fighting for every possession. The Stingers stepped up their ball movement, but in the dying minutes both Eason and Ebony Morris, two of Concordia’s starters, fouled out, making it difficult to make up an eight point deficit in last thirty seconds.
Pruden questioned the legitimacy of Morris’s last foul. “Sometimes the reffing is like the weather, you can complain all you want but it won’t change anything.”
Fouls didn’t help the Stinger team. By the end of each quarter McGill was already on bonus, and every time the Stingers drew a foul they shot free throws.
Pruden described the mood in the team room post-game as subdued. “They’d better be angry and thirsty for a win.”
On Saturday, Concordia women’s team faced the Laval Rouge et Or and were defeated 80-62.
The Stingers’ next game is Friday Nov. 30 against UQAM at 8 p.m. at Concordia.
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