SHERBROOKE, Que. – The Bishop's Gaiters men's basketball team opens the winter portion of their schedule with a home-and-home series against the Laval Rouge et Or. The teams will do battle on Friday night in Quebec City, with the return match on Saturday at the Mitchell Gym. Both games tip off at 8 p.m.
 
The Gaiters (3-0, 0-4 RSEQ) return to action for the first time in seven weeks, after the annual break for exams and Christmas, along with a bye last week. They closed out the fall with an 81-73 loss at home to McGill.
 
Laval (6-10, 4-2 RSEQ), meanwhile, opened their winter schedule last weekend, splitting a pair of games with McGill, winning 70-63 in Montreal on Jan. 4 but suffering a 53-47 loss on Jan. 6 in the return match.
 
The Gaiters are three games behind Laval and McGill, who are tied for the league lead, and two back of Concordia and UQAM, who are tied for third.
 
The Gaiters come into the game with the league's third-rated offence, scoring 69 points per game, while Laval is last in the conference with a 66.3 average. Defensively, however, Laval tops the league, allowing only 63 points per game, while the Gaiters have given up 75.
 
Jona Bermillo (Montreal, Que./Vanier College) has led the Gaiters offence so far this year, averaging 12 points per game. He also leads the league with 4.8 assists per game. Three other Gaiters are averaging in double figures, with Abdul Kamane (Montreal, Que./Vanier College ) scoring 11.8 ppg, Nick Harvey (Saint-Bruno, Que. /Champlain-St. Lambert) adding 11 and David Belanger (Sherbrooke, Que./Champlain-St. Lambert) chipping in with 10. Belanger leads the Gaiters on the boards with 6.8 rebounds per game.
 
Alexandre Leclerc is the only Rouge et Or player to average in double figures, as he is second in the league with 15.7 points per game. Frantson Demosthene leads Laval on the boards with 8.3 rebounds per contest.
 
Laval won the first matchup between the two teams this year, a 74-64 win in Quebec City on Nov. 18.
 
Both of this weekend's games will be webcast, with Friday's game available (in French) on www.youtube.com/rougeetor and Saturday's being aired on www.gaiters.ca/webcast.