SHERBROOKE, Que. – It was a tall task entering the weekend against the nation's second ranked team and the Bishop's Gaiters women's basketball sqaud put their best foot forward but it wasn't enough as the McGill Martlets swept a home-and-home series  with a pair of victories on Thursday and Saturday in RSEQ University Women's Basketball.
 
Rookie sensation Ashley Milhomme of Repentigny, Que. led the way for the Gaiters.  On Thursday night in Montreal she tallied 16 points on 6-8 shooting including a 3-8 performance from behind the arc in 31 minutes on the court.  Her effort was not enough as McGill rolled to an 83-46 victory.
 
The host Martlets controlled the game from the get-go. They outscored Bishop's 26-10 in the first frame and extended their advantage to 45-25 at the break.  On the heels of four McGill players scoring in double figures McGill used their depth, despite missing a pair of all-stars in their line-up to put the game out of reach with a strong third quarter.  As the final buzzer sounded the scoreboard read 83-46 in favour of McGill who seemingly solidified their spot as the second-ranked team in the CIS.
 
Saturday was a different story with the NBA in town as part of their cross-Canada tour.  Both teams showed fatigue early on as Bishop's held tight with their rivals.  Knotted-up at 11-11 after the first quarter, McGill grabbed a slim 25-22 advantage at the break. Their experience coupled with a short Bishop's bench allowed them to pull away in the second half but not without a fight from Bishop's.  The Martlets won the third stanza 17-8 and neither team got any offense going in the fourth quarter as McGill finished the game as 49-35 winners.
 
Milhomme, the College Montmorency product once again played over 30 minutes and scored eight points while grabbing six rebounds. Bishop's tuned the ball over 22 times compared to 10 by McGill and the Martlets grabbed 10 offensive rebounds resulting in 18 more shot attempts than their counterparts. 
 
After dropping the home-and-home series with the Martlets (9-1), Bishop's falls to 0-10 on the season.  They are next in action on Thursday, Feb. 4 in Montreal against the Concordia Stingers (2-8).  Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. The Stingers and Gaiters will also matchup on Saturday, Feb. 6 in Mitchell Gym.
 
Bishop's Beat: Sherbrooke was the 14^th stop out of 15 on a cross-Canada tour to promote the 2016 NBA all-star game taking place in Toronto. Friday night featured the BMO KidsFest where 187 Sherbrooke youth experienced a great evening of basketball.  On Saturday the Bell skills challenge brought out 90 players trying to earn bragging rights and a trip to Toronto. NBA Legend Dikembe Mutombo was also at the events.
 
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