The McGill Redmen have played the UQAM Citadins three times this season, and each time, they’ve prevailed. McGill played host to the struggling Citadins at Love Competition Hall over the weekend, routing UQAM 83-68 in the final regular season meeting between the two teams. Second-year forward Nathan Joyal led the way for the Redmen, matching his season-high total of 17 total. The victory extended the team’s winning streak to three games, despite the absence of key players Adrian Hynes-Guery and Simon Bibeau, both being out due to injury.
The teams traded baskets for much of the first quarter as McGill looked a bit hesitant to start. In the second quarter, however, the Redmen played excellent defence, and they closed out on jump shots, forcing UQAM into some sloppy possessions. The Citadins were limited to just five perimeter attempts after taking nine in the first quarter, and were held to only 31 per cent shooting overall in the quarter.
McGill began executing more precisely on offence in the seventh minute, sparked by Rodrigo Imperador’s three-pointer at the 7:20 mark. Joyal was brilliant in this stretch, and he led the offence with drilling two threes and nine points in the last five minutes of the quarter. Captain Winn Clark sank a foul-line jumper at the buzzer to close out the half, ending a 25-7 scoring run, putting the Redmen up 48-29.
McGill Head Coach David DeAveiro stressed the importance of the team-first approach that has guided the Redmen to first place in the RSEQ. Four Redmen players finished in double figures, and McGill’s bench outscored UQAM’s 33-10.
“We’re not about one or two guys. We’re a team. So when [opponents] are preparing to play us, they can’t key in on one or two guys, they have to key in on the [whole] squad,” he said.
However, the second half turned out to be a completely different story for the Redmen. The Citadins attacked McGill’s defence straight out of the break. UQAM also held the Redmen scoreless for the first three minutes of the third quarter, en route to a 6-0 run. The Citadins applied pressure using a full-court press and forced McGill into multiple turnovers. Two free throws by UQAM’s Philippe Tamba brought them within seven points at the three-minute mark; the third quarter ended with McGill’s large halftime lead trimmed down to 10, 63-53.
“They came out and hit some tough shots on us [early],” Coach DeAveiro said. “I didn’t think we came out with the same intensity to start the third. … I thought about calling a time-out, but I wanted to see if we could fight through this and get together as a team, [to] take care of it on the floor without [calling] a time-out.”
Coach DeAveiro’s strategy appeared to work, as the fourth quarter unfolded perfectly for McGill. Led by second-year point guard Ave Bross, the Redmen proceeded to address the errors that plagued them in the third and re-established their dominance. Joyal started the rout with a three-pointer, followed by jumpers from Bross and Clark. Te’Jour Riley and Imperador added a layup each in the 11-0 scoring run, and UQAM was forced to call a time-out. The Redmen were on cruise control from there.
Bross played within the flow of the game, creating open shots for teammates and delivering pinpoint passes. This was crucial for a team missing Bibeau and Hynes-Guery, both prolific offensive players and point guards who create opportunities.
“I think we [have] figured out how to play without [Hynes-Guerny] right now, and other guys are stepping up and fulfilling that role. … Bross did a good job in the second half [running our offence],” added Coach DeAveiro.
The Redmen have three games left before the playoffs begin and currently sit atop the RSEQ. McGill battles the tied-for-first Bishop’s Gaiters on Feb. 16.
