Laval University's Rouge et Or was perfect in the regular season and ended its journey in Quebec with two more wins in the playoffs to secure a berth in the Canadian Women's Basketball Championship.
With a flawless defensive performance against a strong offense that averaged 70 points per game during the regular season, the Rouge et Or defeated the Bishop's Gaiters by a score of 56-33 on Saturday in front of nearly 2,000 spectators at PEPS. They finish their season in the RSEQ with a perfect record of 18 wins.
“I never thought we would win our 18 games,” admitted head coach Guillaume Giroux, “but I told an assistant that if a team can do that, it is us.” I wasn't convinced, but our great depth was made the difference.”
The end of the 2023 season served as motivation for the Rouge et Or. “The girls were on a mission,” Giroux said. They were still thinking about the heartbreaking defeat they suffered against UQAM in the semifinals last year. On the last possession of the game, they beat us with a basket.
After erasing an 11-point deficit after three quarters, the Citadins hit a three-point shot with two seconds to play to secure a 66-63 win.
This setback, in which the Rouge et Or lost a six-point lead with 1:34 minutes left in the final quarter, not only served as motivation but was also a learning experience. “The girls learned the hard way, but they gained experience,” Giroux explained. This time they handled the end of the game better.”
The defense shines
In a final between the two best offenses in the RSEQ, defense made the difference. “I’m damn proud of the girls’ defensive performance,” summed up Giroux. Bishop scared me a lot with his powerful attack. At the end of the season we spent a lot of time preparing defensively in training. In our last game at McGill we beat the Martlets in one quarter. I've never seen that before.
RSEQ standout player Léa-Sophie Verret shone again with 14 points, leading the Rouge et Or attack. “That’s a great story, Léa. She worked very, very hard.”
Photo courtesy of Red and Gold
The Rouge et Or, sitting in fourth place in the eight-team standings in anticipation of the national championship, will face the Alberta Pandas, Canadian championship hosts and Western Conference finalists, in their first game on Thursday.
“The girls will have a great experience competing against the host team in a full stadium,” Giroux said. That is exciting. Sometimes the home team is weaker, but that's not the case this year. Since there were no surprises in the playoffs other than Calgary, which will still be a wild card, the best teams have passed and the table will be very, very competitive. For many years the decision has been made between three formations, but that is not the case this year.
The champions of their respective conferences, the Saskatchewan Huskies (19-1), the Carleton Ravens (21-1) and the Saint Mary's Huskies (17-3), are the three favorite teams in a bracket that combines four teams from the West.