Concordia’s men’s and women’s teams defeated Laval on Feb. 11
On Feb. 11, both Stingers basketball teams played the Laval Rouge et Or in the second to last home game of the season.
The women’s team knocked off the eighth-ranked team in the country, winning 82-72. The Stingers headed into the game with a six-game winning streak. The Stingers were able to increase their winning streak to seven games after winning by a score of 67-60.
On the women’s side, the Rouge et Or scored the first points of the game as forward Geneviève Derome knocked down a jumper. The Stingers replied with a three-pointer by shooting guard Marie-Ève Martin. The Stingers had three three-pointers in the quarter, two by Martin and one by forward Richelle Gregoire. The Stingers efficient three-point shooting provided the Stingers with a 21-18 lead after the first quarter.
The Rouge et Or got the first points of the second quarter on free throws by Derome. The Rouge et Or came back and took a five point lead with the score being 29-24 halfway through the quarter. The Stingers did make it a two point game with three minutes left in the quarter on a basket by guard Latifah Roach, but that was the closest they would come in the quarter. The Stingers trailed the Rouge et Or by seven points at halftime, 39-32.
The Stingers started the third quarter on a hot streak as they scored nine unanswered points. Despite a slow start, the Rouge et Or went on a 9-0 run which lasted for three minutes. This gave the Rouge et Or its last lead of the night. The Stingers hit back-to-back three-pointers to regain the lead for good. The Stingers ended the third quarter leading 64-59 after they scored 32 points in the quarter including five three-pointers.
The Stingers started the fourth quarter with a bang as Gregoire hit a three-pointer early. The closest the Rouge et Or came to tying the game was being down seven points late in the match.
“The girls stuck to the game plan and took Laval away from theirs,” said Stingers coach Tenicha Gittens. “We were aggressive on both ends of the court.”
On the men’s side, the Stingers had a quick start to their game as they scored the game’s first seven points including a three-pointer by Stingers forward Ken Beaulieu. The quarter ended with the Stingers leading 15-9.
The second quarter started with excitement for Stingers fans as Ken Beaulieu performed a slam dunk which was his second of the game. With four minutes left in the quarter, the Rouge et Or crawled their way back and made the score 26-20 in favor of the Stingers. The Stingers led 31-23 at halftime after a late three-pointer by forward Jaleel Webb. Beaulieu scored 10 points in the quarter and 17 points in the first half.
“When [Beaulieu] is engaged, he might be one of the best two way players in this league,” Stingers coach Rastko Popovic said. “He has such a big impact on the game. Not just with scoring and dunks, but also when it comes to rebounding and steals.”
The Stingers got the first points of the third quarter off of free-throws by forward Schneiders Suffrard. Halfway through the quarter, the Rouge et Or got a three-pointer by forward Thibaud Dezutter which decreased the Stingers lead to 20 points at 44-34. Beaulieu scored four unanswered points including one more dunk to end off the quarter. This gave the Stingers a 51-39 lead.
The Rouge et Or started the quarter scoring five straight points including a three-pointer by guard Antoine Beaumier. The Rouge et Or kept on chipping away at the Stingers lead and with 20 seconds left they cut it to three points after forward Alexandre Leclerc hit another three-pointer. Beaulieu came back and ensured the win after scoring four unanswered points to end the quarter. This included his fifth dunk of the game.
“I’m very happy with how we defended the ball and how passionately we played and how we competed for forty minutes,” said Popovic.
Both Stingers teams will take on McGill basketball on Feb. 13 at the Concordia Gymnasium.
