The No. 7-seeded Concordia Stingers lost 86-68 to the No. 2-ranked McMaster Mauraders in opening round action at the U SPORTS Final 8 women's basketball championship in Toronto this afternoon.
It was a strong start for the Stingers as they opened the scoring and rolled up an early 7-1 lead. But McMaster picked up the pace and at the end of the first quarter, the Marauders were up 26-19.
In the second quarter, the Ontario champions continued to surge, and Concordia missed out on a number of opportunities. McMaster took a 16-point lead, 44-28, into halftime.
The Stingers had a little more fight in the last 20 minutes and pulled within nine points, but McMaster was relentless and pushed ahead for a convincing victory.
“For us, everything was a little too late,” said Concordia head coach Tenicha Gittens. “Especially when you’re playing against a team that has national experience. So just being at nationals and getting to this stage kind of got to us today. But we will be back, trust me.”
Third-year guard Caroline Task led the Stingers with 27 points and five rebounds. Coralie Dumont had 14 points and seven rebounds, while U SPORTS rookie of the year Myriam Leclerc chipped in with 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
McMaster’s Sarah Gates put up a career-high 32 points to help defeat the Stingers.
Concordia will meet the Acadia Axewomen in a consolation semifinal match on Friday at 6 p.m. The Marauders will face the Saskatchewan Huskies in a semifinal game on Saturday.
Players of the Game
Concordia: Caroline Task
McMaster: Sarah Gates