The fourth-ranked team in Canada visited Concordia and outplayed the Stingers
On Saturday afternoon, the Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team welcomed their rival the McGill Martlets in a matinee as a part of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Shoot for the Cure weekend at Concordia. The Martlets took control of the game in the second quarter and never looked back as they captured a 24-point win over the Stingers, 72-48.
The Stingers scored the first four points on baskets from their guards Kaylah Barrett and Tamara Pinard-Devos. A minute later, the Martlets got on the board with a basket by their center Alex Kiss-Rusk. The quarter was played at a competitive pace, both sides trying to gain the edge. There were five ties throughout the first quarter: teams continued to exchange baskets, but neither team could pull away. After a pair of late free throws by Mariam Sylla, McGill took a 21-19 lead into the second quarter.
The Martlets took control of the game in the second quarter, starting with a 9-0 run which included a three-pointer by Carolann Cloutier to increase their lead to 12 points. The Stingers got their first basket of the quarter at the 5:30 mark on a free throw by Gregoire and, on the next play after a Martlets turnover, Barrett hit a three-pointer. The Stingers seemed to be crawling back into the game but the threat was short-lived. The Martlets got a late basket by Sylla to head into the halftime with a commanding 18 point lead, 44-26.
The Martlets scored first to start the third quarter on a basket by Kiss-Rusk. A few second later, Marilyse Roy-Viau responded for the Stingers. Although Concordia continued to put up a fight, this game belonged to McGill. The Martlets capped off the third quarter with a basket by Jennifer Silver to lead the game 58-39.
Like the other three quarters, the Martlets got the first basket of the last frame. Kiss-Rusk continued to dominate the paint for the Martlets and scored five straight points to start the quarter. Barrett responded with a free throw to score the Stingers first point of the last quarter but the Martlets were relentless all game and responded with 4-0 run which was led by point guard, Marika Guerin.
The Martlets are the fourth-ranked team in the country and McGill’s head coach Ryan Thorne admitted that he is extremely proud of his team and the type of reputation that their program has built. After the game, Thorne complimented Concordia and admired the way the Stingers continued to compete.
“Concordia was aggressive and attacked the basket well today,” he said.
Regardless of his team’s effort, Stingers head coach Keith Pruden thought that his team did not have a great day on the court.
“We did not play well, we shot the ball poorly and our defense was spotty.”
The Stingers travel to Bishop’s next weekend to face the Gaiters. With a 4-8 record, Concordia is hoping that a little bit of team bonding is exactly what they need.
