Gaiters 61, Stingers 53: Stingers lose hard-fought home opener

Late-game Stingers defensive collapse leads to season-opening loss

SportsMalcom David — Published November 10, 2024 0 minutes

“We just couldn't get a stop compared to the first half, we just let down a bit,” returning guard Nelly Owusu said. “We were not communicating as much as we should.”

Physicality and defence defined the game as both teams' offences struggled early. 

In a low-scoring first quarter marred by turnovers and high defensive tenacity, the Stingers offence suffered from early foul trouble and indecision against the Gaiters’ full-court press. Yet, solid defensive play kept the score at 12-12 by the end of the frame.  

The Stingers offence would get going to take a 31-25 halftime lead. Fourth-year centre Serena Tchida led the charge, finishing with 17 points and seven rebounds. She displayed her usual relentlessness in the paint and tenacity on rebounds. Tchida, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder last season, was pivotal in a poor shooting night for the Stingers who went 2-for-16 from three-point range and shot 30 per cent from the field.

Despite holding a narrow lead by the end of the third quarter, the Gaiters outscored the Stingers 14-11 in the frame and the momentum shifted. The turning point in the quarter came when Stingers guard Dalyssa Fleurgin injured her arm in a scramble for a loose ball, marking the loss of a leader and a weapon on both sides of the ball for coach Tenicha Gittens.

“Once Dalyssa went down, I think that shook our players,” Gittens said. “But there's no excuse, we have to be able to be mentally tougher than that.”

After Fleurgin left the court, the Stingers would lose the grip on their lead. The Gaiters outscored them 22-11 in the final quarter to regain the lead and hold on to the win.

“We were not able to execute as much as we were doing in the second quarter,” Tchida said, reflecting on the team’s inability to close out the game. A lacklustre shooting night failed to compliment the Stingers defence, which eventually crumbled and limited the team’s response to the Gaiters’ fourth-quarter surge.  

“We did a lot of really good things, especially on the defensive end,” Gittens said. “But, you know, a game is not one half. This is basketball, [..] it's four quarters. It's not two quarters.”

The Stingers’ next home game will be on Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. against Université Laval Rouge et Or.