Women’s Basketball: Stingers Run Away From Martlets

Concordia Hold Off Late McGill Surge In 58-53 Win At Home

SportsHarrison-Milo Rahajason — Published February 19, 2017

Despite a late run by the Martlets, the Stingers had built up a large enough lead to hang on for a much-needed 58-53 win on Thursday night at the John Dore gymnasium.

At the end of the third quarter, the Stingers held a commanding 49-27 lead. Up to that point, they had completely controlled the flow of the game. They scored on just about every possession, and they did very well to neutralize McGill’s talented center and primary offensive weapon, Alex Kiss-Rusk.

“I wouldn’t say we emphasized her over any other player,” said Stinger head coach Tenicha Gittens. “Alex is a good player, and we knew, like with any other center, to stick to the scouting report and make sure she didn’t get too many open looks on the inside.”

Kiss-Rusk still finished with a game-high 16 points. In this game, she managed only two offensive boards, which limited her effectiveness on that end of the floor.

“First, I made sure it was hard for them to get her the ball in the post,” said Stingers forward Marvia Dean, who was often tasked with guarding Kiss-Rusk. “Once they did get her the ball in the post, I just kept my hands up and played defence.”

With a lead of more than 20 points, and their second win of the season against the rival Martlets just one quarter away, McGill rallied and put some doubt into a game that, up to then, seemed all but decided.

The Martlets scored on their first seven possessions of the final quarter, and cut Concordia’s lead down to just 10 points with six and half minutes left to play. Coach Gittens believes that McGill’s run came, in part, thanks to some questionable calls from the officials.

“I usually don’t like to say anything bad about refs,” said Gittens. “But they were getting calls that we weren’t getting. The refs weren’t consistent at the end, and it helped them get back in the game.”

Despite McGill outscoring the Stingers 26-7 in the fourth quarter, and despite the questionable late-game officiating, the deficit was just too large for the visiting Martlets. Concordia had done enough over the first three quarters of the contest to make their advantage insurmountable.

Guard Marilyse Roy-Viau led the way in scoring for the Stingers, dropping 14 points—a shade under her season’s average of 14.9.

Meanwhile, Jazlin Barker continued her fine month of February on Thursday night, registering a 12-point, three-assist and two-rebound game. Like a good teammate, she attributes her recent success to her colleagues.

“We’re just playing team basketball,” said Barker. “We’re sharing the ball and my teammates are finding me.”

With just two regular season games left before the playoffs, Barker knows how important it is to try and end the schedule strong, and enter the postseason with as much momentum as possible.

“This one meant a lot for us,” said Barker. “We’re close with McGill in the standings, and we’re trying to climb even higher before the playoffs come.”

The Stingers will head to Bishop’s on Wednesday, where they’ll be looking to complete the season sweep of the Gaiters, and further improve their seeding ahead of the playoffs.