Moose scores 30 in losing cause as Redmen fall
QUEBEC CITY – Moustafa El Zanaty tallied a game-high 30 points
and Sean Anthony hit a “double-double” but it wasn’t enough as the
visiting McGill Redmen were dumped 98-81 by host Laval in men’s
university basketball action at Quebec City, Friday.
Jean-Francois Beaulieu had 19 points and Xavier Baribeau added 18
for the Rouge et Or, and were among five players to reach double
figures in scoring.
Laval led 23-17 after one quarter, 53-34 at the half and 74-63
after three periods.
The game featured the hoops debut for fifth-year senior Erik Galas,
an All-Canadian receiver from the Redmen football team, who became
only the fourth McGill athlete over the past four decades to play
for both teams. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound native of Ottawa, saw 21
minutes of court-time and finished with three points, three
rebounds and a steal in his first competitive basketball game since
the spring of 2004, when he suited tip for St. Matthew’s high
school in Ottawa.
El Zanaty, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, sunk 12 of 25 shots from the
floor, but was just 1-for-9 from three-point range. He went 5-for-7
from the foul line and had a team-high six assists, to go along
with a pair of rebounds and one blocked shot.
Anthony had 21 points on 9-for-21 shooting for the Redmen. He also
grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds but had difficulties at the foul
line, draining only three of 12 attempts.
Teammate Matt Thornhill contributed 16 points and pulled down five
rebounds in 38 minutes of court time. Michael White had seven
points and an equal number of rebounds in 19 minutes of court-time
before fouling out.
Other top scorers on the Laval side were Christian Deslaunier (15
pts.), Etienne Labrecque (12) and Maxime Cloutier, who had 10
points before fouling out. Two other Laval players finished with
nine points, including Francois-Olivier Gagnon-Hebert, who was also
slapped with a technical foul.
Laval held a large 48-33 edge in rebounding and a 5-2 margin in
blocked shots. They connected on 43.6 per cent from the field, 28.1
from beyond the arc and shot a paltry 15-for-32 from the free-throw
line.
McGill dropped to 1-2 and will host Laval (2-1) in a rematch at the
Currie gym on Saturday at 8 p.m. The game will be part of the
McGill Varsity Council’s annual food drive for Sun Youth Montreal.
Fans who make a donation of non-perishable food can gain admission
to the women’s and men’s doubleheader for only $2.
GAME NOTES: The Rouge et Or announced recently that head coach
Jacques Paiement was stepping down in his 10th season to battle
prostate cancer. His son Jacques Jr., has been elevated from
assistant coach to interim head coach.