SHERBROOKE, Que. - A pair of 20-point performances led the Bishop's Gaiters to their first win of 2017-18 as they defeated the UQAM Citadins, 83-77, in Quebec university basketball league action on Saturday at the Mitchell Gym in Lennoxville. Abdul Kamane (Montreal, Que./Vanier College) scored a game-high 24 points on 8-for-19 shooting, while Joany Castor Thadal (Saint-Leonard, Que./Champlain-St. Lambert) notched 22 points, as he went 8-for-14 from the field.
 
Bishop's (1-8, 1-0 RSEQ) led from wire-to-wire as they picked up their first win over the Citadins since Feb. 12, 2016. Alex Boissé (Sherbrooke, Que.) was the other Gaiter in double figures, as he went 8-for-11 from the field and scored 19 points. David Belanger (Sherbrooke, Que./Champlain-St. Lambert) was one point short of a double-double, as he had nine points and a team-high 13 rebounds.
 
"It was good to get a win," said Gaiters head coach Rod Gilpin. "I think we've played some pretty good minutes of basketball at points this preseason. I think defensively we were pretty good tonight. Everybody who stepped on the floor contributed, so that was a big thing."
 
UQAM (3-7, 0-1 RSEQ) was led by a double-double by Ibrahim Sylla, who scored 19 points with 13 rebounds. Misi Boy Jeanneau had 15 points on 6-for-15 shooting, while Hermain Toussaint had 10 points.
 
Bishop's opened strongly, taking a 7-2 lead in the first two minutes of the game, on layups by Kamane, Boissé and a three-pointer by rookie Harvey Matou (Paris, France/Cegep de Thetford). A pair of three-pointers by Castor-Thadal put Bishop's up nine at 17-8 halfway through the period, and the Gaiters held a 24-18 first-quarter lead.
 
The Gaiters extended the lead to 15 points on a 9-0 run at the start of the quarter and led by as many as 17 points in the period as they held UQAM to only 11 points and four field goals in the period.
 
Another three-pointer by Kamane gave the Gaiters their largest lead of the night, 22 points, with 7:10 left in the third quarter. UQAM had cut the margin to ten points, at 60-50, with 38 seconds to go in the period, but a three-pointer by Kamane as time expired in the quarter put Bishop's back up by 14, at 64-60 heading into the final period.
 
The Citadins went on an 11-4 in the final three minutes to cut the final margin of victory to six points.
 
Bishop's shot 45.7 per cent from the field, while holding UQAM to 40.3 per cent. The Gaiters outrebounded UQAM 44-38 and outscored the Citadins in the paint 40-32.
 
The Gaiters are back in action on Thursday, Nov. 9, as they visit the Concordia Stingers. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. Their next home game is Saturday, Nov. 25, when they host McGIll.