CIS Hoops.ca

The flu virus that has unsettled so many across the country finally made a direct impact on the CIS season as Laval Rouge et Or had to reschedule Saturday's home game with UQAM Citadins. Laval had seven players ill all week and as a result has not practiced together as a group since last Tuesday. Fortunately, the group is getting better and Head Coach Jacques Paiement Jr. plans to reconvene his team beginning tomorrow in the hope of getting a quarum for practice. Laval hosts Concordia this coming Friday at the PEPS.

There were three games played in the "Q" over the weekend, beginning with Concordia Stingers coming up with an improbable come back win at home against the upstart Bishop's Gaiters. Concordia 69, Bishop's 67... In the Q league opener for both teams, 6'2" freshman Onnex Blackwood missed a pair of free throws with 1 second remaining in the fourth quarter and the Gaiters blew a late third quarter 15 point lead as the Stingers escaped at home with a two point win. With Gaiters up 62-49 beginning the fourth quarter, the Stingers mounted an 18-4 run, culminating in a Vali Lazarescu jumped with 2:40 remaining for a 67-66 Stinger lead. Third year guard Decee Krah (19 points) was key in the run, knocking down 3 of 4 from three point land. Later the Gaiters were able to tie it but 6'4" Evens Laroche made 1-2 from the line with 40 seconds left to give Concordia the lead for good. Bishop's turned the ball over 8 times in the final frame including on their first 3 possessions which Concordia had a 9-0 run in the first 1 1/2 minutes of the fourth. The Gaiters shot a tidy 17-22 from the line overall but Blackwood went only 1-4 from the stripe in the final minute as Bishop's had a tremendous effort that they simply couldn't close out in Montreal. 6'7" Hermon Tesfaghebriel had 16 for Bishop's while starting point guard Oraine Green and Blackwood had 12 apiece. Green keyed the early lead with nine first-half points, as the Gaiters overcame Concordia's pressure defence to build up a 38-29 lead at the break. For Concordia, Hamza Ruhezamihigo scored a game-high 20 points, while James Clark had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds... Also on Friday in Montreal, host UQAM defeated McGill 87-79, using an 11-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to break open a tight game. UQAM had three consecutive 3's in the run including a pair by QSSF all-star Adil El Makssoud to lead by 12. The Redmen were able to get the lead back to within 3 with 55 seconds remaining however Eric Cote knocked in the Citadins 5th 3 of the final stanza and later El Makssoud went 2-2 from the line to seal the win. UQAM went 9-17 from three point land overall in the game while McGill, which shot 56% for the game went only 12-21 from the line. 6'4" Matt Thornhill had 24 to lead McGill while 6'4" Michael White added 20. Cote led 5 UQAM players in double figures with 19 points. BOX SCORE... The Redmen came back on Saturday with a 90-82 home win over Concordia. Thornhill scored 17 points and pulled down six rebounds as McGill defeated the Stingers for the first time since Jan. 16/08 and for only the third time in their last 29 meetings dating back to 2002. Thornhill made seven of his 14 attempts from the field, including a 3-for-4 performance from beyond the three-point arc. Newcomer Vali Lazarescu had 24 points and 7 rebounds to lead Concordia. In a game where the lead changed hands 11 times, McGill moved ahead 22-19 after the opening quarter and 58-51 at halftime, before the Stingers rallied to take a narrow 70-68 advantage after three stanzas. The Redmen shot a sizzling hot 55.7 per cent from the field (34/61), 60.0 from three-point range (12-20) and 90.9 from the foul line (10-11), compared to the Stingers, who shot 47.7, 35.7 and 71.4, respectively. McGill, which had treys from seven different players, held a rare 33-26 edge in rebounding over Concordia. Both teams produced 35 points off the bench. BOX SCORE

Quebec League Standings
Laval 1-0
UQAM 1-0
Concordia 1-1
McGill 1-2
Bishop's 0-1

Future Games:
Friday: Bishop's at McGill; Concordia at Laval
Saturday: McGill at Concordia; Laval at Bishop's