Rouge et Or 85, Stingers 76 (OT): Concordia bows out in thrilling RSEQ semi-final
The men’s basketball team loses in overtime away at Laval to end their season
The Concordia University Stingers men’s basketball team battled with the Université Laval Rouge et Or in an intense Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) semi-final game on Feb. 25, taking the game all the way to overtime. However, they did not manage to come home with the win, falling 85-76.
The Stingers made their way to Quebec City to face off against the second-seed Rouge et Or after finishing third in the RSEQ standings. It was Laval who came out of the gate firing, with four straight field goals putting the Stingers in an early 8-0 hole.
Despite this deficit, forward Jaheem Joseph and senior guard Sami Jahan pushed to help the Stingers end the period down two.
After some nail-biting basketball in the second period, the Stingers went into halftime tied 35-35, with a late tying 3-pointer by the Rouge et Or. Jahan was all over the floor in his final game as a Stinger.
The third period saw more back-and-forth, with a flurry of exchanges. The Stingers were content to take a 4-point lead heading into the final frame and had the chance to advance to the RSEQ finals.
However, the fourth quarter saw an electric finish for the home side.
With 20 seconds left, the Stingers had a 2-point lead and possession of the ball. Concordia forward Ba-Amara Djame had a chance to seal it and make it a two-possession game, but missed a crucial baseline layup. With 10 seconds remaining, the Rouge et Or went the other way and tied the game, forcing overtime at 68 points a piece.
Overtime did not go the Stingers’ way, and they were eliminated from the conference playoffs. Jahan and Joseph, both graduating players, were named RSEQ all-stars.
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