Alexandra Allaire and Sam Reynolds / McGill Tribune

Martlets

On Thursday Jan. 26, the annual ‘Pack the House’ basketball double-header took place at McGill’s Love Competition Hall, with both the Martlets and the Redmen emerging victorious over UQAM, with scores of 77-52 and 71-61, respectively.

Lately the Martlets have been sluggish out of the gate, but finish strong. Winning their past four games in the fourth quarter, the Martlets have mastered the art of the comeback. This time though, the women’s team came out on fire in the first, and never lost hold of the lead during the game. 

Marie-Eve Martin was an early threat to UQAM, hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter. Unfortunately, some foul trouble early in the first half sent Martin to the bench, minimizing her impact. 

The same cannot be said for Anneth Him-Lazarenko. Though Him-Lazarenko is a major scoring threat, and had been double-teamed for most of the past few games, UQAM could not stop her on Thursday as she scored 15 points and six rebounds despite heavy defensive attention.

Although the Martlets led the entire game and came out victorious, Head Coach Ryan Thorne expected much more from the women’s basketball team.

“The game went according to plan; [we won] but it was sloppy and we allowed them to hang around,” Thorne said. “We actually lost in the second quarter, and this is a team that should not beat us at any point. Although we were subbing pretty liberally, we have enough depth on our bench that we should be able to maintain and extend that lead.”

McGill picked up the pace and gained a seven-point lead in the last four minutes of the third quarter. They continued to dominate on both ends of the floor, extending their lead to 25 points by the end of the game. 

Redmen

The Redmen then took to the court and maintained the lead through the entire game in their best all-around effort of the season. The first half  was characterized by amazing ball movement on offence with McGill getting open looks and sinking shots as a result.

Nicolas Langley, a forward who netted three 3-pointers, had a total of 11 points and played a large role in McGill’s offensive sets. 

 “In the first half, we had a lot of ball movement and we kept our turnovers down,” Langley said. “In terms of shooting, it’s a matter of taking good shots. I happened to be open and I hit them.”

Another star on the court was Winn Clark, a guard known for his hustle, quick feet, and intensity on defence. The Redmen’s defence was key in preventing UQAM from gaining any significant momentum, with their help defence and excellent communication forcing UQAM into frustrating offensive series.

“We stepped up our game in the first half and we made them take shots. We relaxed a little bit at the end of the shot clock but aside from that, it was great. As long as we keep up the good defence and take good shots and limit our turnovers we should be looking good for the rest of the year,” Clark said.

The Redmen faltered slightly in the third quarter and saw their 20-point lead  cut in half, making for a heart-pounding fourth quarter. Although UQAM brought intense pressure, McGill held their own and extended their lead. Vincent Dufort, a first-year point guard, was another standout, as he scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

“This game shows what this team is capable of doing. We took care of the basketball and in the first half we only had four turnovers and that’s important with a team where turnovers can be our fatal flaw,” Head Coach David DeAveriro said. “Throughout the season we have been working on our offence. Today we shot well, moved the ball well, and we plan to keep on building our offence as we approach playoffs.”

Both McGill basketball teams played again on Saturday Jan. 28 against Concordia University. The Martlets won 61-50, putting them in first place in the RSEQ standings. The Redmen followed suit, winning 73-67, keeping them in second place with a 6-4 record. With only six more regular season games remaining, the wins this week put both teams in good positions as the RSEQ playoffs approach. The teams play at home again on Feb. 4 against Laval.