Tag: women’s basketball

Categories
Sports

Stingers drop doubleheader at home against McGill

home against mcgill
Concordia Stingers guard Ken Beaulieu dunks against the McGill Redmen on Jan. 11. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

Women lose halftime lead, while men fall short in tight game

The new year has yet to be good to Concordia’s basketball teams, as the Stingers lost both games in their doubleheader at home against McGill on Jan. 11.

Women’s game

The Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team lost to the McGill Martlets by a score of 70-55. The game was tight in the first half, going back and forth with not much ground given on either side. Concordia went into halftime leading 34-31.

In the second half, the Martlets erased the deficit and slowly built up their lead. When asked about the most prominent factor in losing this game, head coach Tenicha Gittens was critical of her team’s rebounding effort. “We have to be better on the boards,” she said, adding that they have to “find a body and box out.”

The Martlets won the game by out-hustling the Stingers on rebounds, especially at the offensive end, where they secured 19 offensive rebounds, many of which led to second-chance points. Gittens explained that, when her players don’t secure rebounds, it makes it tough for them to get in transition and use their speed, limiting most of their offensive talent.

Guard Aurelie d’Anjou Drouin led the team in scoring with 10 points coming off the bench, while guards Caroline Task and Sabrina Stambouli each scored nine points.

Forward Marvia Dean shoots a free-throw against the McGill Martlets on Jan. 11. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

Men’s game

The men’s team played the second game of the doubleheader, and again weren’t able to stop McGill, as they lost to the Redmen by a score of 88-81.

The game was back and forth to say the least, with eight lead changes and four ties throughout. The Stingers looked best in the first half when, at one point, they were leading by 13 points. Eventually, McGill began to pressure the Stingers in Concordia’s half of the court, hoping to create turnovers and close the gap. The plan worked. Soon enough, Concordia’s lead was gone, and they were instead playing catch-up.

Guard Ken Beaulieu made a valiant effort to help the Stingers complete a comeback, leading the team with 24 points—14 coming in the fourth quarter alone—and adding seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block.

The Redmen were proficient in the paint, scoring 52 points within close range, compared to 38 from the Stingers. The abundance of high percentage shots and a couple of timely threes by guard Dele Ogundokun of the Redmen in the fourth were enough to put the nail in Concordia’s proverbial coffin.

Both Concordia Stingers basketball teams will get their shot at redemption against McGill. They play a doubleheader at McGill on Jan. 13, with the women playing at 4 p.m. and the men at 6 p.m.

Categories
Sports

Making her debut a year late

Ashley Moss started playing basketball when her family moved to a new neighbourhood in Nassau, Bahamas. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

Ashley Moss was injured in her first game as a Stinger, but returned this season

Ashley Moss joined the Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team before the 2016-17 season with high expectations for herself and her team. As a transfer from the Holland Hurricanes of Charlottetown, P.E.I., she came to Concordia with one goal in mind—to help put a championship banner in the rafters of the Stingers’s home court.

Before she could help her team to the top, Moss had a hill of her own to climb. In her very first game with the Stingers in October 2016, Moss went down with what was later discovered to be a serious injury. Tests revealed she had torn her left Achilles tendon as well as her meniscus. These injuries kept her sidelined for the rest of her first season, and marked the beginning of a tedious, year-long rehabilitation process.

While this devastating injury presented Moss with a tough road to recovery, she is not a stranger to long and winding roads. Moss was born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas. When she was in 12th grade, her family moved to a different part of the city, which is where basketball first caught her eye. According to Moss, basketball started not so much as a passion, but as a necessity.

“There was a court on the side of my house. I was in a new neighbourhood, and the only thing to do was to go watch the boys play basketball,” she said. Eventually, Moss got tired of watching. She began participating in the street games and competing against full-grown men at the age of 18. From here, both her love and skill for the game developed.

Standing at 5-10, Moss is a lengthy, athletic forward. Her size gives her a particular type of defensive prowess which is cherished by coaches, and is what ended up earning her a spot on the Bahamas national women’s basketball team. She played on the national team for three years. In 2015, her last season with the team, she helped lead the Bahamas to a gold medal at the International Basketball Federation Caribbean Basketball Confederation (FIBA CBC) championship.

Moss injured her Achilles tendon in her first game last season, and missed the entire year. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

She wanted to see how much further basketball could take her, and decided to leave the tropical heat of the Caribbean for the bitter cold of Canada to keep playing. Moss began her collegiate career at Holland College in 2013-14. In her three seasons at Holland College, she won back-to-back Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) championships in 2015 and 2016, and helped the team compete in their first two national championship tournaments.

From the Bahamas to P.E.I., Moss made a tough transition but maintained a winning pedigree. Moss said her move was tough because she had never been away from her family, nor had she seen the school. This is exactly what she was preparing to do again, when she moved from Charlottetown to Montreal, where she felt she had the best chance to keep winning. Moss said Stingers head coach Tenicha Gittens influenced her to make the switch to Concordia.

Gittens helped ease the transition for Moss by bringing in fellow Holland College recruits, Marvia Dean and Jazlin Barker, for the 2016-17 season.

“[Gittens] was on the same page as us,” Moss said. “She wanted to win a championship, and I feel like we can do it with her.”

Unfortunately for Moss, she was not able to join her former Hurricanes teammates on the court in her first season as a Stinger.

When asked to describe her journey back from last year’s season-ending injury, Moss did not lie about how hard it was. “My rehab was really rough, but what was even harder than the rehab was watching my teammates play,” she said. “The wins were good, but when they lost and struggled, I really felt the struggle.” According to Moss, she had to learn to walk again, and at times, was limited to shooting shots while sitting down in a chair with her leg up in a boot, as her teammates practiced.

As of today, Moss is healthy and off to a strong start this year. She won Most Valuable Player of the Concordia Classic Tournament in October, which her team won, and was named athlete of the week twice in the preseason. On Nov. 9, she played her first regular season game at home in front of a noisy crowd, which she had been itching to do.

“Do you know how long I’ve waited to play in this gym? I’ve been waiting forever to play in front of this crowd,” Moss said enthusiastically.

Her pent up energy was on full display in the home opener, where she had game-highs in both rebounds, with 12, and blocks, with five.

The word resilient describes Moss’s journey, her character and her style of play. She never lets a bad break, a tough challenge or a daunting task keep her down. She consistently bulldozes her way through the obstacles in front of her, and in doing so, wins, both in life and in basketball.

Main photo by Kirubel Mehari.

Categories
Sports

Stingers basketball teams dominate Gaiters in home opener

Stingers forward Ken Beaulieu dunks the ball in front of a mural of himself. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

Aurélie d’Anjou Drouin, Ricardo Monge finish as leading scorers in their games

The Concordia Stingers men’s and women’s basketball teams opened up the regular season at home on Nov. 9, and both came away with wins against the Bishop’s Gaiters. The women won 82-59, and the men won 88-71.

Women’s basketball

The women’s team set the tone for a winning season this year. It was a tight first quarter, ending with the Stingers up 19-18, but that was the last time the score was close. Guards Caroline Task and Aurélie d’Anjou Drouin got off to very hot starts, both scoring early and often. Task finished the game with 26 points, and d’Anjou Drouin scored 30 points.

On the other end of the court, the team’s defence was ferocious, forcing the Gaiters into a total of 20 turnovers. Forward Ashley Moss led the way on the defensive end, finishing the game with 12 rebounds and four blocked shots.

By the end of the first half, the Stingers were up 45-40. Task and d’Anjou Drouin continued their strong performances in the third quarter, and were able to stretch the lead to as much as 36 points. The Stingers ended up beating the Gaiters by a score of 82-59.

Guard Caroline Task looks for an in-bound pass in the Stingers home-opener on Nov. 9. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

It felt good to come out with a bang,” said Task after the game. “We trained all summer, and it’s good to see hard work pay off.” When asked about her individual performance, she kept it simple: “My shot was dropping, and I had a lot of energy.”

In addition to her 26 points, Task had two rebounds, three assists and four steals. Along with d’Anjou Drouin, Jazlin Barker was the third guard to hit double digits with 13 points. It was an all-around dominant performance for the women’s team, one they can build on moving forward.

 

Men’s basketball

The first half of the men’s game was a dogfight, with the Stingers and Gaiters matching each other on every possession. It was a gritty, low-scoring half which ended tied at 33.

In the second half, the Stingers really kicked into gear. Midway through the third quarter, they began putting tremendous pressure on the Gaiters, creating steals and defending their basket to generate blocks. Six of Bishop’s 15 turnovers came in the third quarter alone.

The Stingers defensive pressure led to the play of the game, when Concordia forward Ken Beaulieu soared to catch an alley-oop pass from guard Nicholas Noble, and threw it down for a reckless slam dunk. This put the Stingers up by 12, and seemed to kill whatever drive the Gaiters had left.
The dynamic defensive play by the Stingers guards is what sparked their offence. Guard Ricardo Monge played a very efficient game offensively, as he went 3/4 in three-point shooting, and finished with a team-leading 23 points. Guard Jonathan Koud scored 19 points coming off the bench, and was a nightmare for Gaiters defenders, using his speed to attack the rim. Stingers forward Olivier Simon and Noble each scored 10 points.
The Stingers men’s and women’s teams will be going on the road to take on the Laval Rouge et Or on Nov. 12.

Categories
Sports

Stingers basketball teams successful in Concordia Classic tournament

Guard Caroline Task drives towards the basket in a game against the UPEI Panthers on Oct. 6. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Women’s team wins tournament with 3-0 record, while men’s team finishes second with 2-1 record

The Concordia Classic Basketball Tournament, which ran from Oct. 6 to Oct. 8, was a success for the Concordia Stingers. The Stingers host the pre-season tournament every year, and this year, six schools sent teams to play in the men’s and women’s tournaments. The Stingers women’s team won the tournament with a 3-0 record, while the men’s team finished in second place with a 2-1 record.

Women’s Team
Forward Ashley Moss, who missed the entire season last year with a knee injury, was named MVP of the tournament. She averaged nine points and 11 rebounds per game, with a field goal percentage of 59 per cent.

Guards Caroline Task and Jazlin Barker were named tournament All-Stars. Task led the team in scoring throughout the tournament, averaging 14.7 points per game. Barker had a dominating performance in their final game against Toronto, stuffing the stat sheet with 21 points, seven assists, three rebounds and five steals.

The tournament opener for the women was against the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) Panthers. This game had a quick start with the Stingers outscoring the Panthers 30-25. From there, Concordia did not let go of the lead and won with a final score of 60-53.

Rookie forward Coralie Dumont looks for a pass against the UPEI Panthers on Oct. 6. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

The Stingers’ second game was against the Algoma Thunderbirds, which they won in dominant fashion, 80-38. After the first quarter, the Stingers led 18-3, and by the end of the third quarter they were up by 23. They played well the entire game but especially in the fourth quarter. Everything seemed to be working for them offensively in transition, and their hustle was clear. The Stingers dove for loose balls, caused jump balls and forced turnovers with stout defence. It was a coming-out party for rookie guard Coralie Dumont, as she had 18 points and 13 rebounds.

The final game of the tournament was against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. Barker stole the show with her 21 points and secured the tournament win. Moss was also instrumental in this win, as she had 10 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, four steals and two blocks. Thanks to these strong performances, the Stingers won the game, 73-64.

Men’s Team

The Stingers opened the tournament against the Regina Rams with a convincing 92-74 victory. Concordia’s offence was extremely well balanced, as five players had more than 10 points each. Point guard Ricardo Monge had 16 points and seven assists. Six-foot-seven forward Olivier Simon also had a strong showing, putting up 15 points, grabbing seven rebounds and adding two blocks.
Their second game came against a very strong opponent, Halifax’s Dalhousie Tigers, who finished last season with a record of 16-4. After the first quarter, the game was tied at 16. In the second quarter, the Stingers were able to grab a seven-point lead, but an aggressive half-court press by Dalhousie trimmed that lead to two by halftime.

The second half was a back-and-forth affair, with the lead changing hands on several occasions. Concordia was in the lead for most of the game, but Dalhousie continued to turn to the half-court press to apply pressure and force turnovers. Then, down by two points with 18 seconds left in the game, Dalhousie’s Alex Carson hit a dagger three-point shot to put them up by one. Concordia had time for one more shot but unfortunately missed. They lost a hard fought battle, 72-70.
The third and final game of the tournament for the men’s team came against the York Lions. The Stingers won the game, 85-80. The win was due in no small part to the hot start Concordia got off to, outscoring York 27-14 in the first quarter.

Forward Olivier Simon shoots a free throw against the Regina Rams on Oct. 6. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

The Stingers were actually outscored in each of the following three quarters by a total of eight points. However, York’s comeback was clearly not enough to erase the 13-point deficit created in the first quarter. The Stingers offence was incredibly well balanced again, with five players scoring in the double digits. Guard Jonathan Koud led his team with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Two Stingers were named tournament All-Stars: Koud and forward/guard Ken Beaulieu. Koud led the team in scoring, averaging 15.7 points per game. Beaulieu was an outstanding sixth man, averaging an even 15 points per game coming off the bench. He provided huge boosts for his team throughout the tournament.

The women’s team plays various pre-season games for the rest of October before starting their season Nov. 9 in a home game against the Bishop’s Gaiters. The men’s team plays in a pre-season tournament at Queen’s University from Oct. 13 to 15, before starting their season Nov. 9 at home against the Bishop’s Gaiters.

Main photo by Alex Hutchins.

Categories
Sports

Experience, chemistry will lead women’s team

Head coach Tenicha Gittens wants to lead the Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team back to the RSEQ final. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Head coach Tenicha Gittens looks to build off surprise playoff run to RSEQ final last year

“Nothing beats experience.” That’s what the head coach of the Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team, Tenicha Gittens, said she believes. She is counting on experience and chemistry to lead her team to a successful 2017-18 season.

With two seasons worth of experience as a head coach, and a team with many returning players, Gittens is looking to build upon last year’s incredible season. Despite finishing in fourth place in a five-team division with a 7-9 record during the regular season, the Stingers were able to make it all the way to the final of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) last season. They upset first-placed Laval Rouge et Or in the semi-final before losing to the McGill Martlets in the final.

Throughout this year’s training camp, Gittens has noticed the team is more comfortable with her systems, both on offence and defence, which gives her confidence in the team’s ability to implement them in games. According to Gittens, players are now familiar enough with these schemes that she doesn’t need to keep teaching them every practice. Instead, she can focus on other aspects of training. This kind of familiarity with Gittens’ strategies gave players a head start coming into training camp, and made it easier for new players to adjust to the team.

Latifah Roach looks for an open teammate against the McGill Martlets during the 2016-17 season. Archive photo by Ana Hernandez.

Familiar faces are not the only advantage this team has going into the 2017-18 season. There are also some recent additions which should help bolster the lineup. Ashley Moss, who missed the entire regular season and playoffs last year with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), is now healthy and ready to contribute. At 5-11, she brings athleticism and versatility to the team, being that she can slot in at either guard or forward.

Coralie Dumont is another exciting new addition. She is a lengthy 6-1 guard who, according to Gittens, can stretch the floor with her three-point shooting. She averaged double digits in both points and rebounds in her three years playing for the Champlain St-Lambert Cavaliers in CEGEP. On paper, both players should help improve the team’s offensive rebounding, which finished dead last in the division last season at 30.4 rebounds per game.

Gittens used the Concordia Classic Tournament, which ran from Oct. 6 through 8, to test out her new players and get her team ready for the regular season. She said it provided the most authentic form of preparation for the regular season: “We just [needed] that tip-off, more in-game experience.”

The tournament also allowed Gittens to evaluate all the strengths and weaknesses of her team. One principle she sought to improve on going into the tournament was ball movement—the team was middle of the pack in assists per game last year with 12, and near the bottom of the division in overall field goal percentage at 35.2 per cent. Good ball movement would help secure more open shot attempts to increase their field goal percentage.

While there is always room for improvement, Gittens is confident in the group of players she has in front of her. According to the head coach, the speed and athleticism of her players enable them to form a solid team identity. They are a hounding defensive unit, as shown by their league-leading 10.1 steals per game last season. On offence, Gittens added, they are a speedy transition team with solid shooting.

The Stingers play pre-season games for the rest of October. They will tip off their regular season at home on Nov. 9 against the Bishop’s Gaiters.

Main photo by Alex Hutchins

Categories
Sports

Stingers fall prey to Martlets, lose 72-48

Photo by Andrej Ivanov

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.

Categories
Sports

Stingers stumble late and lose 72-63

Concordia’s defense finally gave away in the fourth quarter and Laval came out on top

The Laval Rouge et Or came to Concordia on Thursday night looking to capture their third win of 2015 while the women’s basketball team were trying to rebound from two bad losses last week. The Rouge et Or fought off the pesky Stingers and prevailed with a 72-63 win. The Stingers shot over 35 per cent from the field during the game, but it wasn’t enough to challenge the Rouge et Or.

Laval had a great start to the game with a 6-0 run started by forward Justine Guay-Bilodeau. The Stingers struggled earlier, missing baskets until the 5:47 mark of the first quarter when Stingers forward Richelle Gregoire went beyond the arc and hit a three-pointer. At the end of the first quarter the Stingers trailed 15-8.

The Stingers scored the first points of the second quarter on a basket by guard Aurelie d’Anjou Drouin. A minute later, the Rouge et Or scored their first points of the quarter on a basket by forward Jane Gagné. The Stingers scored six unanswered points to respond and pressured Laval for the first time in the game. However, the visiting powerhouse increased their lead to seven points after a three-pointer by guard Gabrielle Girard with 36 seconds left in the quarter, momentarily stealing the momentum from Concordia. As time was expiring, Stingers guard Daphne Thouin drained a three-pointer to make it a four-point game, 27-23 at halftime.

Concordia got their first basket of the third quarter on a three-pointer by Gregoire and the Stingers came out ready to compete after the break. In the third quarter, Concordia battled back and tied the game twice. The first time was at 31 when Gregoire drained another three-pointer and the second time was when Kaylah Barrett got a basket to knot the game at 33. Gregoire was unflappable from the three-point arc and gave her team their first lead of the game. The competitive pace continued as the Rouge et Or came storming back and tied the game at 46 with 28 seconds left in the quarter on two free throws by Gagné.

Laval opened the last frame with two straight baskets by forward, Marilyn Bariault, which started a 6-0 run for Laval. The Stingers got their first basket of the fourth quarter on a basket by Marilyse-Roy Viau two minutes into quarter, but they couldn’t keep up with Laval.

The Rouge et Or  had a 5-0 run midway through the fourth quarter which included a three-pointer by Raphaelle Cote that helped Laval pull away. Concordia fought hard throughout the game but got behind too many times during the game and couldn’t recover in the end.

Stingers head coach, Keith Pruden, was not happy about his team defense after the match, especially how they fell apart in the final quarter.

”Our defense was on and off in the fourth quarter, [and] it can’t be. We turned the ball over way too much,” Pruden said.

Categories
Sports

Stingers get a thumping by the Citadins

UQAM overpowered Concordia early on and muscled their way to a 60-44 victory

The Stingers hosted the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) Citadins on Thursday night. The Stingers came into the game with some momentum after sweeping a home-and-home series with the Bishop’s Gaiters last weekend. On Thursday night, the Citadins prevailed with a 60-44 victory over the Stingers. Concordia had a horrible shooting game: they only shot 24 per cent from the free throw line and missed 47 shots in total. The Citadins, in recent past, have been the Stingers’ Achilles heel due to their physical play. This was the Stingers fifth straight loss to them.

The Citadins started the game scoring the first three points on a basket and free throw by center Jessica Lubin and forward Lorna Desrameaux-Simon. The Stingers ended the quarter going on a 4-0 run on baskets by guard Kaylah Barrett and forward Marilyse Roy-Viau. Yet Concordia still trailed UQAM by the end of the first, down 11-7.

Stingers guard Tamara Pinard-Devos hit a jumper to score the first basket of the quarter. The Citadins responded with a basket of their own by guard Janice Quintos. The Stingers went on a 6-0 run however, at the same time, Citadins’ Quintos went beyond the arc and hit back-to-back three-point-shots to erase any progress the Stingers made. Concordia was down 11 points at halftime, 33-22. Quintos was clearly UQAM’s most deadly weapon on the court, scoring 12 points in the second.

The Citadins scored the first points of the third quarter on a basket by forward Sarah Cabana. Stingers responded and scored their first points of the quarter on free throws by Roy-Viau. UQAM ended the third quarter on a 6-0 run orchestrated by Desrameaux-Simon who scored all six points. The Citadins led the Stingers by 20 points, 52-32 after three quarters, putting the game out of reach for the home squad.

The Stingers tried to make things closer in the final quarter. Stingers Barrett and guard Daphne Thouin both hit free throws to start the fourth. The Citadins only got their first points of the fourth quarter two minutes later on a three-pointer by Célestin. Concordia went on a 6-0 run led by Barrett who scored four points on the run. The Citadins got another three-pointer scored by forward Juliette Delaune which brought the score to 58-40 and secured the victory for the visitors.

Stingers head coach Keith Pruden blames the competitiveness of the league for the lack of scoring.

“When we played out of conference, we were scoring in the 70’s. And in Quebec, we score in the 40’s and 50’s. The RSEQ is the roughest conference in the country,” Pruden said.

Concordia’s best player of the night, Barrett, believed with more players on the bench, it would have been a closer game.

“If we had more bodies, we would be able to get some more rest and collect our thoughts instead of making changes on the fly,” Barett said.

 

Categories
Sports

Women’s basketball opens year with win

Concordia controlled the game from opening tip-off and cruised to an easy 69-32 victory

The Concordia Stingers hosted the Bishop’s Gaiters on Thursday night to start the second half of the basketball season. The Stingers came into the game with a record of 1-3 in Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) regular season. Concordia dominated the game from start to finish to get their second win of the season—an impressive 69-32 result. The Stingers played solid defense as they forced the Gaiters to commit 26 turnovers in the win. Stingers forward Richelle Gregoire scored 12 points and 14 rebounds in the win.

The Stingers started the first quarter with a bang when forward Marilyse Roy-Viau hit a three-pointer to score the game’s first basket. The Gaiters got their first points of the game with six minutes to go in the quarter when forward Mara Marchizotti drained a three. The Stingers led 24-3 after the first quarter and by then the game was already out of reach. Roy-Viau had 11 points—including three three-pointers—in the first quarter.

The Stingers started where they left off in the second quarter. Gregoire got the first point of the quarter on a free throw. The Stingers defense, combined with missed chances by Bishop’s, led to the Gaiters only scoring their first points of the quarter with five minutes to go. The Stingers entered halftime up 38-11.

As they had all game, the Stingers started the second half in complete control. This time, guard Daphne Thouin hit a three-pointer to start the scoring. Compared to the first two quarters, the Gaiters got their first points early with Marchizotti getting a basket just 30 seconds in. The Stingers continued their domination, going on a 9-point run midway through the third quarter. Concordia increased their lead to 33 points at end of the third quarter, bringing the game to 56-23.

The Gaiters scored the first points of the fourth quarter on two straight baskets by Marchizotti. Stingers guard Aurelie d’Anjou Drouin responded with a two-pointer of her own. By this time, both teams were just waiting for the final buzzer to sound.

Roy-Viau was the leading scorer in the game with 19 points. Viau is having an incredible season so far: she is ranked fifth in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) for points per a game with 19.4.

The Bishop’s Gaiters are the bottom dwellers of the conference this season with a record of 0-5.

Stingers head coach Keith Pruden believed that his team was over-confident going into the game, which showed through the 19 Concordia turnovers.

“We were lazy with ball control, plus when you are up 30 or 40 points and they get a breakaway it does not matter, this is a bad attitude to have,” said Pruden.

 

Categories
Sports

Stingers trample Gaiters from start to finish

Women’s basketball team earns season’s first victory by defeating Bishop’s 87-24

It was a double-header between the Stingers and the Gaiters on Thursday, Nov. 13, with Concordia’s women’s basketball team hosting Bishop’s. After losing to Laval last week, the  Stingers got their first win of the season and dominated the Gaiters. The home teamed cruised to an easy 87-24 victory.

After winning the opening tipoff, things went south for the visiting Gaiters for the rest of the game. Forward Richelle Gregoire got the game’s two first baskets for the home side. The Stingers scored 12 points including a three-pointer by guard Daphne Thouin before Bishop’s got their first points of the game on a couple of free throws by forward, Marie-Pascale Duhamel.

Thouin would hit her second three-pointer late in the first quarter and the Stingers would be leading 27-7 going into the second quarter.

Third-year player Tamara Pinard-Devos controls the ball against a Gaiters’ opponent. Photo by Brianna Thicke.

The Stingers would strike first in the second quarter with another basket by Gregoire and  Concordia would continue their scoring streak on baskets by Kaylah Barrett and forward Marilyse Roy-Viau.

The Gaiters would only get back on the board in the second quarter on a basket by forward, Mara Marchizotti.

Both Barrett and Gregoire would hit three-pointers late in the quarter to extend the huge lead.

The Stingers led 45-9 going into the locker room at halftime. As good as the offence was, Concordia’s defence was the backbone of their strong play as the Gaiters could only muster two points in the second quarter.

Stingers would get on the board first to start the third quarter as guard, Tamara Pinard-Devos hit an opening three-pointer. Barrett would then hit back-to-back three-pointers to increase the Stingers lead. The Stingers called upon Aurelie d’Anjou Drouin from the bench to give some of the Stingers’ key players a break. D’Anjou Drouin ended up scoring seven points in the quarter.

The Gaiters would score four straight points including a three-pointer by guard Joy-Celine Bermillo, but the Stingers would end the quarter with a three-pointer of their own by Thouin. Down 73-14 entering the final quarter, the Gaiters would score the first points of the fourth quarter on basket by guard, Marie-Laurence Dulud and then get free threw by forward, Danielle Lumley.

From the moment the game began, it was clear that Concordia was the better squad. The Gaiters have a relatively young and inexperienced team, which showed in the way they could not keep up with the Stingers. Veteran players like Barrett, who scored 20 points in the victory, set the tempo of the game for the Stingers and looked in control throughout the contest.

Stingers head coach Keith Pruden attributed such composure to his team’s win.

“We played organized basketball which is a reason why we were able to score many points,” said Pruden. “I was pleased [with] how aggressive we were. Which is what you want from a team contending for a title.”

Categories
Sports

Comeback falls short versus Laval.

Women’s basketball team lose 72-65 in home opener

The Concordia Stingers played the Université de Laval Rouge et Or in their regular season home opener on Thursday, Nov. 6. The Stingers entered the match on a four-game winning streak to end their preseason. However, this momentum wasn’t enough; the Stingers lost 72-65 despite Stingers’ three-time All-Canadian guard, Kaylah Barrett, getting 20 points and 13 rebounds.

The Laval Rouge et Or started the first quarter with scoring the first three points of the game on free throws by forward Jane Gagne. The Stingers would only score their first points of the first quarter at the five-minute mark on a basket by Barrett.

The Stingers would take an early 11-9 lead into the second quarter due to the three point shooting of forward Marilyse Roy-Viau, who hit two three-pointers in the quarter.

Photo by Briana Thicke.

In the second quarter, the Rouge et Or took over the game. They opened the scoring and tied the game with a two-pointer by forward Geneviève Derome. The Stingers would respond and take the lead with a three-pointer by Barrett. However, the Rouge et Or then went on a run, scoring 20 unanswered points including two three-pointers by forward Justine Guay-Bilodeau and forward Raphaëlle Côté. The Stingers would end the quarter being down ten points, losing 31-21.

The Stingers would open the scoring in the second half with a basket by Roy-Viau. Laval started to pour it on and got another three-pointer by forward Catherine Belanger to increase their lead to 17 points. Viau would score 10 points in the third quarter and help the Stingers stay competitive, but her team was still down 15 points entering the final frame.

The Stingers made it a game in the last quarter starting with the dominant play of Barrett. Concordia’s guard got the first six points of the quarter. The Stingers, with just under 90 seconds left in the game, had cut the Rouge et Or lead to four points. However, it was not meant to be as Laval’s guard Gabrielle Girard would clinch the game with a basket, ensuring Concordia’s loss.

In close games, it all comes down to the littlest mistakes, and Stingers head coach Keith Pruden recognized his team’s shortcomings.

“We need to execute a little better, we missed a lot of easy shots and free throws,” he said.

Pruden also discussed that the game was a physical one, and as the game got closer, the referees put away their whistles.

“Bodies were bouncing off the court, it was like a hockey game,” he said.

Because of their strong preseason play, in which they went 6-3, the Stingers were ranked tenth in the country.

Categories
Sports

The rise of basketball in Canada

Concordia Stingers guard Kyle Desmarais represented his country and is now ready to lead the Stingers to a successful season. Photo by Navneet Pall

Some of the biggest names in the NBA and NCAA now wear a maple leaf

In the last couple of years, Canada has become a basketball factory. In such a hockey-dominated country, Canada has seen many of its basketball players succeed in the time leading up to their NBA draft year.

The hype actually reached its height over the past two years. Last year marked a historic year for Canadian basketball as the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Canadian forward Anthony Bennett from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with the first pick at the NBA draft. Toronto-native Andrew Wiggins is projected to be a high draft pick in this year’s draft, after playing only one season at the University of Kansas.

In the Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) league, the Carleton Ravens won their fourth consecutive national championship and 10th overall. The Ravens started their season in late August as they took on the Syracuse Orange, one of the top university teams in the U.S.. The next day, they beat the Wisconsin Badgers, a team that made NCAA’s March Madness’ Final Four this year.

In this year’s NCAA tournament, there was a record 25 Canadians participating in the annual event. In the first round of the tournament, universities which had Canadians playing for them went 14-2.

Some of the Canadian stars who participated in this year’s March Madness were Syracuse‘s point guard Tyler Ennis, who has a good shot at being a top 10 pick in this year’s NBA draft and Michigan Wolverines’ shooting guard, Nik Stauskas, who led his Wolverines to the Elite Eight where they lost to the Kentucky Wildcats. Stauskas finished the game with 24 points.

The surprising team of the tournament was the underdog Dayton Flyers, who marched to the Elite Eight in the tournament before losing to Florida.The Flyers were led by forward Dyshawn Pierre, a native of Whitby, Ont. Pierre established that he can be a star in the near future.

Many people have been questioning the rise in interest in Canadian basketball. Dwight Walton, a former member of the Canadian national team said that it is in part due to the Internet establishing a role in Canadian players getting more notice south of the border.

“Being able to show off your talent to coaches and scouts via YouTube is much quicker than sending a videotape via the mail service,” Walton said.

Walton also believes that a certain NBA team had an impact on kids wanting to play.

“The Toronto Raptors are the major reason that basketball has taken off in this country,” he said. “They’ve exposed the game to our youth.”

Sites like Basketball Buzz and On Point Basketball have been doing a good job raising awareness for CIS and NCAA basketball to Canadians.

Concordia Stingers men’s forward, Mukiya Post, is very hopeful about the success of Canadian basketball players this year.

“[Canadian] basketball is getting better from [a] young age,” he said.

Canada now must continue on to build on their success. The development of recent Canadian stars, like Wiggins and Bennett, is a step in the right direction, in order for a chance at a berth in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Exit mobile version