LENNOXVILLE, Que. – Undefeated through three RSEQ University men's basketball games, the Bishop's Gaiters will put their perfect record on the line in a Saturday matinee.  They tip-off with the Concordia Stingers at 4 p.m. in Montreal.
 
Last Time Out
Bishop's (3-0 RSEQ, 7-3 U SPORTS) thrilled a boisterous Mitchell Gym crowd last Saturday night with a thrilling 93-86 overtime win over the Laval Rouge et Or. Kevin Davis (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor H.S.) used some late-game heroics to force the extra period before the Gaiter outlasted the Rouge et Or.
 
Two days before that, they beat the then No.9-ranked McGill Redmen 79-69.
 
Concordia (2-1 RSEQ, 6-5 U SPORTS) played at McGill on Thursday night. Olivier Simon scored 32 points in 30 minutes for the Stingers in an 87-81 victory over the Redmen.
 
First Kick at the Can
Saturday will mark the first time the Gaiters and Stingers play in the 2018-19 season.  The Stingers had the Gaiters number a year ago as Concordia swept the season series 4-0 en route to an 11-5 record and second place in the RSEQ. Bishop's finished at 5-11 and in fourth place.
 
Statistically Speaking
Heading into this weekends' play, Bishop's is not only atop the conference standings they lead in a number of statistical categories including:
Scoring Offense          83.3 points per game
Scoring Margin            +6.7
Field Goal %               43.7 %
3-point FG %              38.8 %
3-point FG Made         24
Rebounding Margin    +9.3
Blocked Shots             2.7 per game
Assists                         17 per game
Assist/TO margin        0.9
 
The Gaiters boast the league's top scorer in Abdul Kamane (Montreal, Que./Vanier College). He averages 21.3 points per game and is second in rebounding at 8.7 per game.
 
Davis is eighth in scoring with 14 points per game and is tied for third in assists with teammate Nervens Demosthene (Terrebonne, Que./Cegep de Montmorency). They are averaging 5.0 per game.
 
Bishop's big man Jordan Thornhill (Montreal, Que./John Abbott College) is the early leader in blocks with three through three games and is second in field goal percentage at 68.2 percent.
 
The Gaiters put up these numbers without arguably their best three-point shooter and former RSEQ all-rookie team member Joany Castor Thadal (Montreal, Que./Champlain Collge St-Lambert) who has battled an injury.
           
For Concordia, Simon is third in RSEQ scoring at 18.3 points per game; Adrian Armstrong is tied for fourth 17.7 points per game while veteran Ricardo Monge is seventh at 15 per game.
 
Coach's Corner
"Concordia has a couple guards who can really score," said Gaiters' bench boss Rod Gilpin.  "They are good defensively, were one of the early season favourites in our conference and it is always tough to play them in their gym.
 
"I'm happy with how we competed and didn't give up last game.  I think we had an opportunity in the third quarter to distance ourselves but we didn't do it. We haven't played our best basketball yet."
 
Watch Live
Saturday's game is available live online at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/cumo/
 
Tickets
Tickets for Saturday's game are available by clicking here.
 
Social Corner
Stay up-to-date anytime at www.gaiters.ca or on social media by using @BishopsGaiters and #GaiterNation.
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