SHERBROOKE, Que. - The Bishop's University men's basketball teamed opened its season by going 1-2 at the Eric Garland invitational tournament in Fredericton, N.B. over the weekend. The Gaiters fell 74-67 to the University of Maine-Fort Kent on Friday, defeated the hosts UNB 69-60 on Saturday and closed out the tourney with an 82-66 loss at the hands of the Saint Mary's Huskies, who won the tournament.
David Belanger (Sherbrooke, Que.) was named a tournament all-star after averaging 11.7 points in the three games. He was the only Gaiter to score in double figures in all three games.
On Friday, the Gaiters opened tournament play with a 74-67 loss to the Maine-Fort Kent Bengals. UMFK led 32-27 at halftime, but used a 24-13 third quarter to extend their lead to 16 points and put the game out of reach. The Gaiters mounted a fourth-quarter comeback, but could not make up the distance.
Belanger led the Gaiters with 15 points, while
Jona Bermillo had 13 points,
Joany C.-Thadal added 12 and
Abdul Kamane chipped in with 11s. C.-Thadal led the Gaiters with six rebounds, as Bishop's outrebounded UMFK 43-38. The Gaiters shot only 33 per cent from the field, while the Bengals hit 44 per cent of their shots.
On Saturday, the Gaiters got back on level terms with a nice 69-60 win over the host UNB Varsity Reds. Kamane led the Gaiters with 22 points, including 16 from the free throw line. The other Gaiters in double figures were
Yassin Naji, who had 14 points and Belanger, who scored 10.
The Gaiters led 40-28 at halftime, but saw their margin cut to five points after three quarters. However, Bishop's held UNB to only 11 points in the fourth quarter.
Bishop's closed out tournament play on Sunday with an 82-66 defeat to the Saint Mary's Huskies. The Huskies, who won the tournament, never trailed in the contest, as they raced out to a 28-12 first-quarter lead.
Nick Harvey and Dave Belanger led the Gaiters with 10 points each.
The Gaiters are now 1-2 on the year. Their next game is on Monday, October 10, as they host the Maine Military Academy in Magog. The game will be a fundraiser for the La Ruche secondary school foundation, and tips off at 4 p.m.