Moose scores 30 in losing cause as Redmen fall

QUEBEC CITY – Moustafa El Zanaty tallied a game-high 30 points and Sean Anthony hit a “double-double” but it wasn’t enough as the visiting McGill Redmen were dumped 98-81 by host Laval in men’s university basketball action at Quebec City, Friday.

Jean-Francois Beaulieu had 19 points and Xavier Baribeau added 18 for the Rouge et Or, and were among five players to reach double figures in scoring.

Laval led 23-17 after one quarter, 53-34 at the half and 74-63 after three periods.

The game featured the hoops debut for fifth-year senior Erik Galas, an All-Canadian receiver from the Redmen football team, who became only the fourth McGill athlete over the past four decades to play for both teams. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound native of Ottawa, saw 21 minutes of court-time and finished with three points, three rebounds and a steal in his first competitive basketball game since the spring of 2004, when he suited tip for St. Matthew’s high school in Ottawa.

El Zanaty, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, sunk 12 of 25 shots from the floor, but was just 1-for-9 from three-point range. He went 5-for-7 from the foul line and had a team-high six assists, to go along with a pair of rebounds and one blocked shot.

Anthony had 21 points on 9-for-21 shooting for the Redmen. He also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds but had difficulties at the foul line, draining only three of 12 attempts.

Teammate Matt Thornhill contributed 16 points and pulled down five rebounds in 38 minutes of court time. Michael White had seven points and an equal number of rebounds in 19 minutes of court-time before fouling out.

Other top scorers on the Laval side were Christian Deslaunier (15 pts.), Etienne Labrecque (12) and Maxime Cloutier, who had 10 points before fouling out. Two other Laval players finished with nine points, including Francois-Olivier Gagnon-Hebert, who was also slapped with a technical foul.

Laval held a large 48-33 edge in rebounding and a 5-2 margin in blocked shots. They connected on 43.6 per cent from the field, 28.1 from beyond the arc and shot a paltry 15-for-32 from the free-throw line.

McGill dropped to 1-2 and will host Laval (2-1) in a rematch at the Currie gym on Saturday at 8 p.m. The game will be part of the McGill Varsity Council’s annual food drive for Sun Youth Montreal. Fans who make a donation of non-perishable food can gain admission to the women’s and men’s doubleheader for only $2.

GAME NOTES: The Rouge et Or announced recently that head coach Jacques Paiement was stepping down in his 10th season to battle prostate cancer. His son Jacques Jr., has been elevated from assistant coach to interim head coach.