Tag: RSEQ final 4

Concordia’s women’s basketball team couldn’t beat the pesky Martlets squad

After upsetting the third-ranked team in the country—the Laval Rouge et Or—in the semi-finals, the Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team was defeated in the conference championship by the McGill Martlets, 63-51. The Martlets were crowned champions for the sixth season in a row.

When asked whether or not the hard-fought game against Laval affected the Stingers’ energy, head coach Tenicha Gittens gave an emphatic “no.”

“We had a day in between [each game],” Gittens said, adding the team had no reason to be fatigued going into the championship game.

The Martlets were simply the more efficient and more composed team, lead by their star player, centre Alex Kiss-Rusk.

“[My shots] started going in,” Kiss-Rusk said. “We didn’t really change much in the second half. They started falling for me. I kept taking ‘em.”

Kiss-Rusk made her mark on the game, especially in the final quarter when the championship was on the line. With about two minutes left in the fourth quarter, she made a shot just as the Stingers were closing in on the Martlets. The basket gave her team a six-point lead.

However, the game would not have been so close for so long, if it weren’t for the efforts of Concordia’s star player, Richelle Grégoire.

In her last collegiate game, she was the only Stinger to score from the field in the first half. She shot a respectable six for 11 and picked up 16 points. The rest of her teammates went ice cold as they failed to get a basket on 17 attempts from the field.

Gregoire praised her teammates and coach Gittens for being a part of “the most fun” team she played with during her five-year stint at Concordia.

It was also the final game for Stingers guard Marilyse Roy-Viau, who has been a big leader for the team, providing them with the knowledge she’s picked up over her five seasons. She shared the same sentiments as her veteran teammate.

“This team right there is one of the best teams I have ever had,” Roy-Viau said. “The coaching staff is also the best I have ever had.”

Commonly referred to as “Ric” (Gregoire) and “Red” (Roy-Viau), the duo have left a lasting impression on the team.

Despite the loss, Roy-Viau knows the Stingers will be good for years to come.

“They are going to compete next year,” Roy-Viau said. “Whatever they have right now is the core, and they are just going to build on that and be in the finals again.”

One surprise from this season was the emergence of Stingers guard Jazlin Barker, who took on a bigger role and increased her production as the season went on. She vowed to keep it up next season.

“I am going to come out stronger from the start. I will train harder,” Barker said.

Concordia’s men’s basketball team had their season ended by the Citadins on Friday

Christian Kadima, a forward for the Université de Québec à Montréal (UQAM) Citadins, made a layup and was fouled, giving his team a comfortable seven point lead with a minute and a half remaining in the game. The play, which was made during the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec men’s basketball semi-final, showcased the type of night the Concordia Stingers had. The team failed to make big stops on defence and lost 81-71.

All game long, the Stingers couldn’t convert on their free throws and failed to scoop up loose balls. This allowed to Citadins to score more points.

The Stingers wasted opportunities all night, shooting an abysmal 44 per cent of their shots from the free throw line. They also let the Citadins out-rebound them on the offensive board, which lead to 21 second-chance points by the Citadins.

“You cannot win with those two statistics,” Stingers head coach Rastko Popovic said. “The fact that it was still a close playoff game is beyond me.”

The Citadins looked hungrier on the court and outworked the Stingers all night. The Stingers were able to shoot well outside of the free throw line, but couldn’t stop their rivals from getting extra possessions.

“We really wanted to limit Concordia in transition,” Citadins head coach Nate Philippe said. “We wanted to win the battle of the glass, so I think we did a good job .”

Philippe also said the team’s 20 offensive rebounds were “huge.”

The game started out pretty well for the Stingers, who went on a 6-0 run to start the game. UQAM came right back with eight points of their own, maintaining their lead throughout the quarter. The Citadins were leading 18-14 after the first quarter.

The deficit grew larger midway through the second quarter, when Citadins forward Misi Jeanneau shot a three-pointer. This gave the team their first double-digit lead at 33-23. The Stingers tightened their defense afterwards, and held the Citadins scoreless for about three full minutes. That allowed them to come back, and go into halftime down by four at 35-31.

The second half picked up in intensity, as both teams were more aggressive. The second half saw four lead changes, and both teams going hard for the win.

Stingers guard Ken Beaulieu gave Concordia a 38-37 lead at the beginning of the third quarter. Then Stingers point guard Ricardo Monge followed suit, converting a three-pointer to increase the lead. Going into the fourth quarter, the Stingers lead 52-50.

The fourth quarter kept the same pace until the Citadins started to pull away thanks to some three-pointers. The Stingers kept it close until late in the game when the Citadins jumped out to a seven-point lead.

“We started out well,” Stingers forward Michael Fosu said. “They bounced back in the game because I think we felt too comfortable.”

The loss marks the end of the Concordia men’s basketball season.