Jon Roach -Staff Writer

Amidst a Fall athletic season full of Gaiters golf successes, women’s soccer, rugby and homecoming football and lacrosse, the Bishop’s men’s and women’s basketball teams have been busy with their own preseason schedules as the RSEQ basketball season approaches. 

Photo courtesy of Blair Sheir

The Gaiters men’s basketball team has been quietly picking up where they left off last season. After falling short in the quarterfinal of the 2024-25 men’s basketball championship in Victoria, BC, the reigning RSEQ champions have taken the preseason competition. Dancing to the tune of seven straight victories and finishing as one of only six clubs with a perfect preseason. On Sept. 6th, the Gaiters opened their preseason in Halifax, NS, defeating the Saint Mary’s Huskies 82-62. They followed up with a trip to Brockville, ON, on Sept. 27, to steal an 85-83 overtime thriller against the University of Ottawa. Reigning RSEQ Defensive Player of the Year, Etienne Gagnon, led the way with a 19-point-19-rebound performance featuring the game-sealing basket in overtime. After a 2-0 start to the preseason campaign, October held five more matches, including the first pair of outings in the Mitchell gymnasium of the year. Our Bishop’s University hosted a handful of non-conference competitions on Oct. 9 and 10, featuring the University of Laval and OUA conference teams from Queen’s University and the University of Toronto. The Gaiters were first tasked with the Queen’s Gaels on Oct. 9th, where they secured a 106-99 victory. After a first half that saw the Gaels enter the locker room with a 16-point lead and seemingly all momentum, the Gaiters used their size to outrebound Queen’s on both ends of the floor and tally 67 second-half points to steal the game. The final triage of games found the Gaiters in the nation’s capital for the House-Laughton Tournament at Carleton, where they secured 13-and-4-point victories against Saskatchewan and McMaster Universities, before toppling the hosting Carleton Ravens in a 67-42 victory. 

The women’s basketball team has gotten off to a slower start, perhaps feeling the loss of key contributors from last year’s RSEQ title-winning roster. Following four straight losses, the Gaiters have won their last two to round out preseason affairs. Sept. 20, the ladies travelled to Acadia University where they fell short in a hardfought 53-49 contest, before being bested 69-59 by the UOttawa Geegees in Brockville, ON, a week later. The Gaiters then hosted their own contest against the University of Guelph on Oct. 9, conceding another close 65-61 battle. The last preseason slate for the Gaiters was the Tindall Invitational Tournament in Kingston, ON, on Oct. 17, 18 and 19. Initially, the hosting Queen’s Gaels defeated the purple and white 71-56, though the Gaiters picked up double-digit victories against York University (50-39) and the University of New Brunswick (66-54) to end the preseason in the win column. The Gaiters tallied a slew of blocks and steals through anticipation and communication to ensure their two-game win streak as they enter Usport regular season action. 

The men’s and women’s basketball teams begin their 2025-26 regular season campaigns in the Mitchell Gymnasium on Thursday, Nov. 6, against the University of Laval, so make sure to bring your student ID and purple gear to show your support for the home opener!