By Micah Della Foresta – Contributor

The Bishop’s women’s basketball team had another great weekend, bringing home two big wins. On Thursday, Nov. 17, the Gaiters played in our very own Mitchell Gym against the University of Laval. The team came out strong leading the scoreboard 48 to 38 against the Rouge et Or going into the second half. As the opposing players from Laval worked to close the gap on the Gaiters, the women’s team didn’t back down and pushed back even harder on the offensive and defensive end. With a few special shout out performances from Amaiquen Siciliano (21 points), Jael Kabunda (19 points), and Victoria Gauna (12 points), the Bishop’s team came out on top, winning 82-73 against Laval.

The men’s team followed up the strong performance by the women, taking care of business at home and improving the record to 2-0 thus far in the regular season. They also played a strong Laval team who has been performing well and looks like the team to beat in the RSEQ. Bishop’s set the tone early with aggressive play and urgency that led to a commanding 11-point lead going into the second half. An efficient third quarter from the Rouge et Or would see them coming within striking range, but the speed and persistence of the Gaiters would prove to be too much. Bishop’s took the game by a score of 95-85, with a strong performance by Obi Dike-Nwagbara, who scored his career high with 25 points, shooting 75 per cent from the field. Étienne Gagnon also showed his prowess by flirting with a double double, with 16 points and 9 rebounds. 

Following their double victories at home, the Gaiters hit the road to Montreal to play UQAM just two days later. Facing a slow start in the first quarter and struggling to find their usual shot selection, the women’s team went into the second half up 36-35. Matching the Citadins’ physicality and adjusting their game plan, the Gaiters began to pull away from their opponents. Special shout out performances go out to Victoria Gauna (16 points), Deborah Aboagye (16 points) and Jael Kabunda (11 points and 15 rebounds), who led their team to a 67-55 victory over UQAM. 

The men’s team came out strong with good offence and intensity on defence which would see them up by as much as 10 points in the first half. Scrappy and aggressive play by the Citadins would prove to be formidable as they came back and controlled the game for a considerable amount of time. A late push by the Gaiters saw them come within a chance of tying the game late in the fourth, but they were not able to capitalise on the opportunity, leaving them motivated and hungry to prove themselves again. 

The Gaiters are looking forward to their next match at home against the Concordia Stingers, where the men are looking to improve to 3-2. The women are looking to stay undefeated and continue moving up in the national rankings, where they currently sit at second overall.