Love Competition Hall was packed on Jan. 15 as fans gathered to watch McGill’s Martlets Basketball take on the Concordia Stingers. The cross-town rivals played in the 19th edition Shoot for the Cure game. The campaign is organized by U SPORTS in support of breast cancer awareness, with participating teams raising funds for the Canadian Cancer Society.
For some players, the event is more than just a tradition. Guard Daniella Mbengo, U3 Arts, told The Tribune about the cause’s personal significance.
“My mom had breast cancer two years ago,” Mbengo shared. “I think it touches every one of us in different ways, whether it’s family, friends, or grandparents. It’s an important cause to bring forward.”
The Martlets showed their support not just in their fundraising efforts, but also on the court. The team wore pink shirts during the warm-up and pink hair accessories throughout the matchup as small reminders of the game’s significance. Other McGill athletes were in the crowd supporting the home favourite, as the game marked the launch of the new McGill Women in Sport (WiS) program logo.
The first quarter started with the Stingers winning the jump ball and taking the first possession. While the Martlets started at a possession disadvantage, they opened the scoring in the first 40 seconds, taking the lead with their first shot of the match. For the remainder of the period, Concordia came out offensively strong, forcing quick turnovers and fast plays, giving them a 26-18 lead over the Martlets.
In the second quarter, the gritty home team pushed to close the gap between itself and the Stingers. The period had lots of back and forth, with the Stingers and Martlets battling it out to score, the former team hoping to widen the gap while the latter aimed to keep the game close. Ultimately, Concordia retained its lead, finishing the half 45-37.
After halftime, the Stingers started the period with possession, taking their chances to put up more shots. The Martlets’ cohesion was clear on court as they fought for rebounds to close the point gap. Just three minutes into the period, the home team scored three baskets, narrowing the point margin to two points. However, the Martlets failed to capitalize. A dominant performance by the Stingers placed them 10 points ahead by the end of the third quarter.
The final quarter brought energy from the crowd, with supporters and teammates cheering, “Let’s Go Martlets.” Within three minutes and two seconds, the Martlets narrowed the gap to one point, with Mbengo as a lead scorer, racking up eight points within the quarter. The Martlets were unable to power ahead of the Stingers in the last few minutes of the game as the visiting team came back to win 80-74 at the end of the forty minutes.
While the game was not what the Martlets hoped for, they were able to capitalize on some big moments for crucial points, Head Coach Rikki Bowles reflected.
“Our goal is to get better every game and every week. We know what hurt us today, and so we’ll have to make some adjustments,” she said. “I want them going out there feeling free, not worried about making a mistake. At the end of the day, it’s a game, and I hope they have fun when they’re out there.”
Quotable:
“This season and also past years, we’ve had this same group of people and with key additions throughout the years. We’ve already built something great, and we allow ourselves to be right out there by just learning and keep getting better. Our objective is always to win.” — Guard Lily Rose Chatila, U3 Science, on the team’s goals for the rest of the season.
Stat Corner
Forward Emilia Diaz-Ruiz, U1 Engineering, was named Player of the Game. Diaz-Ruiz scored 14 points, two blocks, and nine rebounds.
Moment of the Game
In the last minute of the game, centre Kristy Awikeh, Master’s in Science, hit a three-point shot to lessen the point gap with the Stingers to one.
