The Rouge et Or women’s basketball team suspected that the duel against the Winnipeg Wesmen would not be easy to start the Canadian university basketball championship. Reality hit hard.
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The Lavalloises were defeated by a score of 81 to 67 in Kingston.
They left everything on the field, but the imposing machine of Winnipeg, the team that scored the most points in the country this season, seemed just too well-honed.
“It was like a steamroller,” said coach Guillaume Giroux.
“We knew it would be difficult against physical monsters like the Winnipeg girls, but on top of that, we made it a little too easy for them. There were too many mental and physical mistakes,” he continued.
False start
What sank the Rouge et Or was the difficult start to the match. The chasm into which the representatives of Université Laval had sunk soon became too deep to extricate themselves.
To the point where after just one quarter, Winnipeg shot 15 of 18 from the floor, building a 35-12 lead.
“The girls on the other side came out in such a strong way, I’ve rarely seen anything quite like it. They would have been 10 in 18 that it would have already been strong, but there, it quickly became difficult to overcome.
“I even took a time out early enough to try to break the rhythm, but that didn’t change. We were simply beaten physically by a very heavy team,” said Giroux.
Late push
The two opponents then played more neck and neck in the second and third quarters. In the fourth, the Rouge et Or finished well, but the damage was done.
“The girls finished well, they fought until the end. It’s still a great experience that they were looking for, ”consoled the coach.
Sabrine Khelifi led Laval with 18 points and seven rebounds. Léa Dominique added 12 points and eight rebounds. The Rouge et Or will play a consolation game on Friday evening (8 p.m.).
Medals in athletics
In Fredericton, the Rouge et Or ladies shone at the Canadian track and field championships. In the hammer throw, Noémie Jeffrey pulverized the competition.
The dominant student-athlete from the Rouge et Or broke her own team record by reaching 18.89m, which earned her the gold medal. It was 6cm better than its previous mark, set two years ago.
It was his third medal on the national stage, but his first in gold.
In the sprint (60 m), Audrey Leduc won another medal, this time in bronze. His time of 7.44s is proving to be a personal mark this season.
In the 4 x 200 m relay, the Rouge et Or qualified for Saturday’s finals, for both men and women.
Competitions continue Friday and Saturday.