SHERBROOKE, Que. - The Bishop's Gaiters women's basketball season opened 2017 non-conference play with a pair of wins in North Bay, Ont. over the weekend. On Friday, they defeated the Algoma Thunderbirds 72-50, and on Saturday they spoiled Nipissing's homecoming by drowning the host Lakers 76-46.

On Friday, Mara Marchizotti (Buenos Aires, Argentina/) led Bishop's with 22 points, while Maude Archambault (Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Que./Collège Montmorency) tallied 17. The other Gaiters in double figures were Ashley Milhomme (Repentigny, Que./Collège Montmorency), who had 14 points, and Edith Noblecilla (Guayaquil, Ecuador/Santo Domingo de Guzmain), who chipped in with 10. The Gaiters got off to a slow start, trailing 22-9 after the first quarter, but outscored the T-Birds 20-6 in the second period to take a 29-28 halftime lead. They stretched their lead out to 51-36 after three quarters after holding Algoma to single figures for the second straight frame.

On Saturday, Archambault drained six three-pointers as she led all scorers with 25 points in the Gaiters' 30-point win over the Lakers. Noblecilla added 13 points, while Marchizotti picked up 10. The Gaiters led throughout, having a 26-8 first-quarter edge and a 42-17 advantage at halftime.

The Gaiters (2-0) are next in action in two weeks, when they head down to Halifax for the Dalhousie Centennial tournament. They will take on the Saint Mary's Huskies, the Brock Badgers and the host Dalhousie Tigers.