By Jacob Zantingh – Contributor

            Coming into their Jan. 23 games, the men’s basketball team sat at an impressive 7-1-0 while their female counterparts were just barely behind them with a great record of 6-2-0. 

            Both teams would make the journey down to Montreal where they would face off against McGill and the Martlets. The men off the back of an impressive 24-point and 12 rebound double-double would win by a small margin, just narrowly edging out McGill 73-69. In the fourth quarter of that game, Zach John would heat up and put up nine points in the final frame to help secure a Bishop’s Victory. On the same day, the women’s team would also go head to head with the Martlets, ready to do much of the same. Victoria Guana would lead the way for the Gaiters with an insane 17-point and 16 rebound double-double in an emphatic BU win by a final score of 53-37.

            Two days later the women’s team would find themselves once again up against McGill but this time in the plex. The game would prove to be a closer bout than the first one with the Martlets putting up more of a fight than the prior matchup. This time Bishops would receive a team contribution as four of their players recorded between ten and 13 points en route to a very close win as BU would out on top 54-49. The men’s team would follow suit with their own home game against McGill. This time the Martlets couldn’t find a way to match the Gaiters firepower as BU blew away the McGill team 84-57.          

            The men’s team would then take on the University of Laval in back to back matchups with the first of these taking place at home in Mitchell Gym on January 30th. BU would win by 10 with a final score of 85-75 over the Rouge et Or. Notable performances came from Tiernan McDougall, who scored 15 points in 18 minutes off the bench as well as the starting rotation which had four players with 10 or more points. Their second game would take place on the road and once again their efforts would culminate in a win as they would defeat Laval 73-65 on the road. These two wins helped the Gaiters advance to an astounding 11-1 record this season.

            The women’s team would also face off against the Rouge et Or on the 30th at home, posting a 61-52 win. Victoria Guana and Eve Atchampone would lead the way with 17 and 14 points apiece as they rallied to their 9th win of the season. In their second matchup with Laval, this time on the road, the tides would shift slightly. The Gaiters would fall to the Rouge et Or in a 65-54 loss. The team now sits at a very strong 9-3-0 record.

            Both teams will be back in action February 6th on the road against Concordia and once again at home on the 8th in Mitchell gym. Come cheer on your Gaiters as they take on the Stingers!