On Friday evening, a strong second half by L’Université Laval Rouge et Or women’s basketball team earned them a 63–61 win over the Bishop’s University Gaiters in the consolation semifinal at War Memorial Gym.
After losing to the Gaiters in the RSEQ championship earlier in their season, Laval was able to get revenge by making a comeback in the second half. The third quarter was particularly crucial for the Rouge et Or, outscoring the Gaiters 17–9.
Bishop’s Victoria Gauna had a big game, earning a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Léa-Sophie Verret was Laval’s player of the game after putting up 15 points and 8 assists. Laval head coach Guillaume Giroux praised Verret’s energy throughout the game.
“Today we saw really what she can do,” he said. “She's a gamer … so she wants to hit the big shots, and she did and we were really happy.”
The Gaiters took charge right away with their defence completely shutting down Laval, giving them a 14–0 lead to start the first. Laval tried to close the gap, with Jennifer Louis finishing at the basket to bring the score to 16–7. Yet that momentum was short-lived, as Bishop’s guard Sandra Mbekou hit a big shot from behind the arc to punctuate a dominant quarter that ended with the Gaiters on top, 21–10.
Early in the second quarter, Bishop’s continued to dominate with intense defence. While Verret sunk a deep three-pointer to close the gap a bit, the Rouge et Or still trailed 35–29 at halftime.
Laval was a brand new team in the second half, as their defence came alive, sparking a half-opening 6–0 scoring run to tie the game at 35. While Gauna made moves in the paint to get the lead back for the Gaiters — Laval guard Sabrine Khelifi responded with a three-pointer for the Rouge et Or to take the lead for the first time this game. Then, it was Verret who fuelled Laval’s energy with back-to-back explosive drives to the net, bringing the score to 42–37. It stayed close throughout the third, but a jumper by Verret gave Laval the lead, ending the quarter up 46–44.
In the fourth, both teams went back-and-forth, exchanging the lead. First, it was Bishop’s Lea Boulanger who took control, scoring in the paint to take the lead 56–55, before playing lockdown defence, blocking a shot and forcing a Laval shot clock violation. Yet, Laval would earn back the lead after a steal helped them capitalize on the other end of the floor, with Khelifi making a fast break layup. Emotions were high, as Laval held a 1-point lead in the last 30 seconds. However, Bishop’s was unable to make their last possession count, as Laval held onto the lead and earned the comeback win, 63–61.
“There's no medal … with that game. But there's pride,” said Giroux. “We played [Bishop’s] six times. There's no way we wanted to be three and three this year. That's four and two. That's what we wanted.”
With this win, Laval extended their time in the Final 8 tournament, moving on to the consolation final tomorrow against the University of Alberta Pandas at 3 p.m.
This article is part of our 2025 Final 8 coverage. Follow us at @UbysseySports on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, as well as @theubyssey on TikTok, to follow our U Sports basketball coverage starting March 12.
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