SHERBROOKE, Que. – After dropping a pair of close games to Concordia last week, the Bishop's Gaiters men's basketball will look to get back on track as they play a home-and-home series against the No. 5-ranked McGill Redmen. The Gaiters currently hold the fourth and final RSEQ playoff spot, with a 2-7 league record, while the Redmen sit atop the league at 7-1. Friday's game is set to tip off at 8 p.m. at the Mitchell Gym in Lennoxville, with Saturday's return match set for 6 p.m. in downtown Montreal.
 
Last time out:
Bishop's (2-17, 2-7 RSEQ) was swept by the Concordia Stingers last week, losing both games by five points. On Thursday in Montreal, Nervens Demosthène had his first career double-double, with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and four Gaiters hit double figures, but it was not enough to get past the Stingers, who won 90-85. On Saturday, the Gaiters led through much of the second half, but faltered late as they dropped a 79-74 decision to the Stingers. Abdul Kamane (Montreal, Que./Vanier College) led Bishop's with 20 points, while Demothène again scored 19.
 
McGill (12-3, 7-1 RSEQ) was idle last week. They swept Concordia two weeks ago, winning by scores of 88-81 and 91-62.
 
When last we met:
Abdul Kamane (Montreal, Que./Vanier College) scored 21 points but it was not enough to withstand the McGill offence, as the Gaiters fell, 100-78, at the Mitchell Gym in Lennoxville, on Nov. 25. His fifth 20-point game of the season was offset by a 29-point outburst from the Redmen's Alex Paquin, as well as 21 from Jenning Leung. Yassin Naji (Lunel, France/Lycée Pothier Orleans) scored 17 points while Joany Castor-Thadal had 15.The Redmen led 24-19 after the first quarter, 50-33 at halftime and 80-49 after three periods.
 
 Top Men:
Bishop's
Abdul Kamane (Montreal, Que./Vanier College) leads the conference in scoring, and is 10^th in the country, with 22.0 points per game. The third-year forward is also seventh on the RSEQ rebounding list (5.7 rebounds per game) and his 3.0 assists per game is tied for second place in the conference.
David Belanger (Sherbrooke, Que./Champlain-St. Lambert), for his part, is the conference's leading rebounder, with 8.9 boards per game and is 10^th in the country. He is scoring 12.3 points per game, which is seventh in the conference.
Joany Castor-Thadal has moved into 10^th place on the conference scoring list, with 11.1 points per game. His 1.4 steals per contest are also 10^th in the circuit.
 
McGill
Dele Ogundokun is second on the conference scoring list, with 14.6 points per game. He is also the league's leading free-throw shooter, with a 0.800 percentage, and his 6.0 rebounds per game are sixth in the province.
Alex Paquin is right behind Ogundokun on the scoring list, sitting in third spot with 14.4 ppg. He is shooting 18-for-33 from three-point territory and his 0.545 percentage is second in the country.
Jenning Leung has 13.1 points per game, which is fifth on the league scoring list. He has made 2.3 steals per game, which is second in the loop.
 
Kamane, Man!:
Abdul Kamane (Montreal, Que./Vanier College) currently sits atop the RSEQ scoring list with a 22.0 average, which is also good for 10^th in Canada. He scored 18 points last Thursday at Concordia, and followed that up with a 20-point performance – his 10^th of the year overall – on Saturday night. His 89 free-throw attempts are by far the highest total in the conference (the next is Ken Beaulieu of Concordia, with 48), and he has scored on 59 of his attempts this year.
 
 Save the dates:
A makeup date has been determined for the Gaiters' game against Laval, which was postponed back on Jan. 5. That game will now be played on Sunday, Feb. 11 in Quebec City, with tip off set for 3 p.m. As a result, the Gaiters home game that weekend, which was set for Saturday, Feb. 10, has been moved to Tuesday, Feb. 13. Tip-off for that game remains at 8 p.m.
 
Coach's Corner
"They're well rested and they're a team that has eight guys that are [in their] fourth or fifth year. They might be the most veteran team in the country. They're the class of our conference, for sure. For us, it's an opportunity to get better this week. We're still trying to put things together; really, it's as much about competing as hard as we can and preparing for our games in February." 
 
Tickets Get your Tickets!
Tickets to Saturday night's doubleheader are available online at www.gaiters.ca/tickets or game day at the ticket booth located next to the entrance to Mitchell Gym

Live Look
Watch Friday's game from Mitchell Gym at: www.gaiters.ca/webcast
Watch Saturday's game on McGill's stream at:  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/mcgill/
 
Next Up:
After the home-and-home with the Redmen, the Gaiters will have a bye week. They are next in action on Thursday, Feb. 8, when they visit the UQAM Citadins underground in Montreal.
 
Social Corner
Stay up-to-date with everything Bishop's Gaiters at www.gaiters.ca or on social media using @BishopsGaiters and #GaiterNation.