Hoops season opens; McGill gals ruin centennial party for Gaels
Ìý
KINGSTON, Ont. - Sophomore Francoise Charest, a five-foot-six guard from Quebec City, scored a game-high 24 points as the visiting McGill Martlets opened their campaign by spoiling a basketball centennial party in Kingston, Saturday, defeating Queen's 78-58 in a CIS women's basketball preseason matchup before 1,257 at the new Athletics and Recreation Centre.
The game, which marked the 100th anniversary of women's basketball on the Queen's campus - and the 112th anniversary of the game being played on the McGill campus - served as the centrepiece of CBC's Sports Day in Canada broadcast and was believed to be the first national telecast of a women's basketball game, outside of the CIS championship tournament.
Charest shot 9-for-14 from the field, including an impressive 4-for-6 performance from beyond the three-point arc. She also went 2-for-2 from the foul-line and was credited with three rebounds, a pair of assists and one steal in 29 minutes of court-time.
McGill ended up with three players who reached double figures in scoring, including junior Anneth Him-Lazarenko, a five-foot-10 forward from Ste. Dorothée, Que., who finished with 18 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. She shot 6-for-14 from the field and made six of eight shots from the charity stripe, to go along with a game-high seven steals. Teammate Natalie Larocque of Quebec City, a first-year transfer from Northern Michigan,Ìýadded 12 points.
For the Gaels, two freshmen led the way, with Gemma Bullard of Guelph, Ont., scoring 12 points and Rachel Urosevic of Kitchener, Ont., adding 11.Ìý Hanna Koposhynska of Toronto scored nine points and registered a game-high 13 rebounds. Christine Wallace of North Gower, Ont., tallied seven points before leaving with what appeared to be a serious knee injury.Ìý The Gaels were also without perennial leading scorer Brittany Moore of Hannon, Ont., who is nursing a minor injury.
Despite being out-rebounded by a 49-35 margin, McGill benefited from a lopsided 32-11 advantage in turnovers and a 16-3 difference in steals. The Martlets shot 32 per cent from the field, 38 per cent from three-point range and 73 per cent from the free-throw line, compared to Queen's, which shot 40, 35 and 40, respectively.
McGill will get a two-week break before heading to Ottawa for a matinee matchup at Carleton on Oct. 2.
Ìý
Ìý
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ
514-398-7012
m.athletics.mcgill.ca (mobile website)
Ìý
