McGill 63, Concordia 51: Women’s Basketball Drop Second Straight to Martlets

After a Tough First Half, Jazlin Barker’s Comeback Efforts Fall Short

SportsDaren Zomerman — Published January 18, 2018

Starting off the third period down 38-22, the Stingers knew it would take some grit to get back into the game. Head coach Tenicha Gittens said the team, in the first two quarters, lacked the defensive edge they needed against Martlets’ centre Alex Kiss-Rusk, who lead the team with 22 points, 18 of which she scored in the first half alone.

“If you’re going to score 18-22 on a game, it’s got to be because you just went to work on us, and she didn’t go to work on us,” said Gittens. “We allowed her to get position.”

“Defensively, we had relapses, it wasn’t the same defensive effort as we had on Thursday when we played them. So that could have been better. In the second half we did a better job with that, we did a better job of resisting [Kiss-Rusk], but then she got put backs because we weren’t boxing out.”

“It was a little different, but you’ve still got to be able to play if a teammate is down,” Gittens said. “You still have to be able to step up and execute, and have that poise, and I think we lacked poise in the first half, and they were speeding us up offensively, and we didn’t exploit that.”

When Barker stepped onto the court, the entire team instantly looked more confident and composed, despite McGill almost doubling their score. After a couple steals, fast breaks, and successful drives to the bucket, Concordia appeared to have a second chance at the win.

But as the Martlets mounted pressure, the Stingers lost their composure and took their third loss against the team this season, bringing their regular season record to an even three wins and three losses.

Coach Gittens said the team will be working over the week at getting possession on defence and working the ball up the court.

“In order to fast break, you have to get the ball, in order to get the ball, you have to get a rebound,” said Gittens. “And that’s the thing, that’s the type we are, we push the ball up, and we get those fast-break points.”

Concordia won’t see McGill again until Feb. 10, where they’ll be playing with a home-court advantage. By then, Gittens said the team will be ready to beat the top-seeded Martlets.

“If we want to win a championship, if we want to get out of the first round, depending on what these other teams do, you have to beat McGill,” she said. “They’re the best team, the second in the country, and they’re definitely the best in the conference right now. So they set the bar, and we have to go up there and go it.”

Next, the Stingers will have a chance to get back in the win column when they host the last-place Bishop’s University Gaiters at 6 p.m. on Jan. 18.