Women back on track, men rolling
By Rowan Halpenny – Contributor
Since their home openers against McGill, Bishop’s has now played five more games. The women now sit with a record of 2-4 and the men at 4-2.
After their opening night heartbreaker, the women went on to lose their next two games in a similar fashion. These games mimicked the first night for the Gaiters, as they got off to strong starts but were unable to hold onto their leads. It took a heated rematch against defending champion UQAM for the Gaiters to find their groove in their fourth game. Rookie guard Eve Atchampone pulled in a breakout game, netting 18 points. Junior forward Victoria Gauna claimed a monster game of her own, securing a double-double with 22 points and 19 rebounds.
The women then followed that game up with a 29-point thumping over McGill at home. Playing with only 7 players due to injuries, Bishop’s still managed to be in control the whole game and ran away with it in the second half. Freshman Marianne Boithias had career highs in three statistical categories with 17 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Forwards Gauna and Kalina Alexander-Renaud combined for 43 points and 17 rebounds. So far, the league looks like it is pretty wide-open, and Bishop’s has as good of a chance as anyone to keep winning games.
On the men’s side, the Gaiters started their season on a three-game win streak before colliding with their fellow undefeated team UQAM in Montreal. In this high-scoring bout, UQAM got the best of Bishop’s, winning 92-85. UQAM drained 15 threes on an efficient 0.39 shooting percent from distance. Hot shooting and momentum swings in UQAM’s favour made it challenging for the Gaiters to best their opponents. High scorers were Citadin Kevin Civil with 30 points and Gaiter Charles-Andre Robert with 23.
The next game for Bishop’s was at home against winless McGill, and the Gaiters stormed in with something to prove. When the final buzzer sounded, Bishop’s had 111 points, the most scored in an RSEQ game in over 20 years. They walked away with a spectacular 50-point win: 111-61. Everyone stuck a foot in the action, with 11 Gaiters scoring a field goal. Sophomore forward Etienne Gagnon was brilliant, scoring 25 points, successfully making his five shot attempts from deep. Heading into their next game with the Concordia Stingers, the men’s team were in a tie for first place and looked to for further victories so they could secure home-court advantage come playoff time.
Both Gaiters’ squads sought to ride their recent momentum into their final game of 2023 at Concordia. The games tipped off at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Nov. 30. Coming out of their game with McGill, the men were off to their best start since the 2013-14 season. However, the team suffered a heartbreaking 77-76 loss in Montreal, and the women’s team fell to the Stingers as well, 58-46.
Correction made on Dec. 7 2:51 p.m.: Since their home openers against McGill, the Gaiters have played five, not four more games. UQAM drained 15 threes on an efficient 0.39 shooting percent, not percentage.
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