By Rowan Halpenny – Contributor

Thursday, Nov. 7 marked the official return of Gaiters basketball in the Mitchell Gymnasium. The men’s and women’s teams welcomed the Concordia Stingers to town for their RSEQ season openers. After recently completing long preseasons, both Bishop’s teams have high expectations for how their regular seasons should go.

The women tipped off first and quickly jumped out to a 12-0 lead. Concordia fought back hard and cut the Gaiters’ lead to just four points by the end of the first quarter. Thanks to a strong shooting effort from the field, the Gaiters went into halftime up 38-35. The third quarter was a back-and-forth battle, setting the stage for an exciting finish. Concordia was able to claw their way back into the game by showing poise and hitting some big shots. In the end, Concordia’s Serena Tchida hit a go-ahead layup with three seconds left, and Gaiter Victoria Gauna’s game-winning attempt fell off the front rim. The Stingers walked out of Lennoxville with a 69-68 victory.

Bishop’s will get at least three more chances to face off against Concordia this year and avenge their opening night heartbreaker. Impressive performances for the Gaiters include senior forward Kalina Alexander-Renaud with 17 points, and junior forward Gauna with 16 points and seven rebounds. 

The men were next to play in front of a full crowd of Gaiters fans. The starting lineup featured one new player, veteran transfer Joshua Koulamallah. After missing some opportune windows, the Gaiters found themselves down eight after the first quarter. Concordia’s Jaheem Joseph lit it up for 21 first-half points, and the Stingers carried a five-point lead into halftime.

In the second half, it was all Bishop’s. Shots started to fall, and defensive stops started to mount, giving Bishop’s a two-point advantage before the final quarter. The fourth quarter was more of the same story, and Bishop’s defended their home court taking the 79-72 win. Junior Charles-Andre Robert started his 2023-24 campaign with a bang, leading the game with 27 points and a stellar 73 per cent shooting from the field. Concordia’s two key players Jaheem Joseph and Sami Jahan were held to just 12 second-half points, which made a huge difference. 

Catch the Gaiter’s in home action on Thursday, Nov. 16 as they face off against Université de Laval.