Stingers upset top-ranked McGill Redmen 51-44

Photo by Andrej Ivanov

Despite the sloppy play by both teams, Concordia held on to a 51-44 victory

The Concordia Stingers Men’s basketball team put on a defensive clinic against the visiting McGill Redmen 51-44, in Saturday’s afternoon’s annual Shoot for the Cure charity game at Loyola.

Coming off a Feb. 5 away loss against McGill when Concordia dropped two games below a .500 record on the season, the Stingers looked to get back in the playoff discussion as they took on the top-ranked McGill squad.

Points came at a premium as both teams struggled to get anything going offensively in the first quarter. Sloppy turnovers and clumsy basketball plagued any sort of offensive consistency either team attempted to impose.

Halfway through the first quarter, both teams combined for a total 15 points and a gaudy six turnovers. Unfortunately for both sides, the lackluster shooting persisted for the remainder of the quarter, and the Redmen took a slight 14-13 advantage exiting the first quarter.

Despite the offensive woes, the Stingers commitment on defensive side of the ball was apparent throughout. Concordia’s second-year forward Ken Beaulieu was a breath a fresh air: his pesky defense resulted in four steals and countless successful shot contests.

The second quarter provided even less offence than the beleaguered opening frame, with the quarter’s first points scored by either team coming with just over two minutes into the quarter. Turnovers and missed shot attempts continued to dominate the narrative as the teams entered the half at a 24-23 stand still, with McGill holding the slight lead.

After the half, Concordia’s defensive pressure was in full effect and managed to hold the visiting Redmen to a woeful six points and sub 30 per cent shooting from the floor. Fifth-year Stingers player Mukiya Post erupted down the stretch hitting a huge momentum-shifting three-pointer to give the Stingers some much needed breathing room after a pair of Michael Fosu free throws.

In the fourth, the Redmen stormed back as McGill’s Regis Ivaniukas hit a deep three-pointer to tie the game at 39-39 with 5:17 left in the game. After a late Concordia timeout, the Stingers went on to close out the game on a businesslike 10-3 run, handing the previously 8-2 Redmen their third loss of the season.

The Stingers, presently third in The Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) will be looking to turn this win into a trend as they pay a visit to the second-ranked Bishop’s Gaiters on Friday, Feb. 13 in Lennoxville.

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