The Concordia Stingers pulled off a 52-46 victory ver the visiting Bishop’s University Gaiters in an ugly, physical and low-scoring game that was utterly meaningless to either team.
“The game didn’t mean anything,” said Stingers head coach Keith Pruden.
“Bishop’s was already out the playoffs, we were already in third because UQAM had already clinched second place when they beat McGill on Friday, so basically you had two teams trying to find something to be motivated to play for. We wanted to finish on a win and Bishop’s didn’t want to get swept out by us,” he said. “So it was nasty. That’s the nastiest game we’ve played against them. It was real physical, they weren’t happy to be there, and we weren’t happy to be there either. The end result was a not very pretty basketball game to watch.”
The game was indeed far from pretty. It was an extremely messy affair that saw both teams combine for a whopping 51 turnovers.
The Stingers controlled the opening quarter quite easily, as the Gaiters shooting was abysmal. Concordia’s shooting wasn’t much better, but they converted some a few easy baskets and had 13 points to show for it while UQAM could only muster five.
The second quarter was characterized by more sloppy physical play, but the Stingers remained firmly in control and took a 25-16 lead into halftime.
In similar fashion to the last time these two teams met, the Gaiters started to press late into the third quarter and most of the fourth. However, the Stingers successfully held them at bay, allowing Bishop’s to tie the game, but never relinquished their lead.
They would go on to win by a score of 52-46.
Though he wasn’t blown away by his team’s performance, Pruden was impressed with the Stingers’ effort given the circumstances, seeing it as a promising sign heading into the playoffs.
“I would have been concerned had we lost, so I am happy with the win despite the circumstances. As close as the score was, we were pretty much in control of that game from the get-go. They never had a lead. It was a hard game to get up for, which a playoff game won’t be, so if we can get the job done in a game that doesn’t mean anything, to me that’s a great sign heading into the post-season.”
The Stingers will take a trip to the Centre sportif UQAM to square off with the Citadins March 1 at 7 p.m.