LENNOXVILLE, Que. – After an up and down pre-season the Bishop's Gaiters women's basketball team are ready to tipoff for real on Saturday when the RSEQ University season gets underway. The UQAM Citadins are in town with game time set for 6 p.m. in Mitchell Gym.
 
Pre-Season
Bishop's went 2-3 against U SPORTS competition (3-5 overall) during their pre-season. Their schedule was tough. Two of their losses came against No. 2 Ryerson and the third versus No. 5 Saskatchewan. They beat UBCO and York.
 
UQAM is 4-2 against their Canadian foes so far this year. They beat Brandon, Cape Breton, StFX and Nipissing and dropped contests to Queen's and Cape Breton.
 
The Citadins open their season at McGill on Thursday prior to making the trek to Lennoxville.
 
Coach's Comments
"Both programs are similar in who we lost as players after last year," said Gaiters' head coach Craig Norman. "The difference is going to be which team's returning players are more dominant.  We have to find a way to deal with their physicality and size.  I see it as their inside presence versus our outside presence.
 
"UQAM plays Thursday which means they might be sharper but also more fatigued.  We have to treat this like a playoff game. Our team understands the importance and are ready to play."
 
Last Year
The Gaiters finished 2017-18 at 8-8 and in third place in the conference.  They returned to the post-season for the first time since 2012 but lost in the semifinal to eventual RSEQ Champion McGill.
 
UQAM meanwhile finished in fourth place with a 5-11 record. They lost to Laval in the RSEQ semifinal.
 
Head-to-head the Citadins and Gaiters split their four contests.  They each went 1-1 at home and 1-1 on the road.
 
W2W4
The Gaiters graduated two first-team RSEQ all-stars from a year ago (Edith Noblecilla (Guayaquil, Ecuador/Santo Domingo de Guzmain) and Mara Marchizotti (Buenos Aires, Argentina/)). They will lean on their tri-captains Maude Archambault (St-Augustine-de-Desmaures, Que./Cegep de Montmorency), Ashley Milhomme (Repentigny, Que./Cegep de Montmorency) and Metchline Gabelus (Montreal, Que./Champlain College St-Lambert) to lead them.  Look for 2017-18 all-rookie team member Marie Berrouette (Montreal, Que./Dawson College) also to play a big role.
 
For UQAM, five-time all-star and former conference player of the year Jessica Lubin is no longer with the Citadins. She was the team's lone all-star a year ago and earned a U SPORTS second team all-Canadian nod. Lubin led the Citadins in scoring last year. Sarah Cabana and Roxanne Douaire their next two leading scorers are also gone.  In the pre-season Veronique Boivin has been leading the team in scoring and at 6'5" Inga Aleksaite promises to be a force in the frontcourt.
 
Tickets
Tickets for Saturday's game are available online at www.gaiters.ca/tickets or gameday at the door.
 
Watch Live
Saturday's contest will be streamed live at www.gaiters.ca/webcast with Luke Connelly and Zach Graveson on the call.
 
Next Up
After Saturday's game, the Gaiters are back in action on Thursday, Nov. 15 in Montreal as they face the McGill Martlets at 6 p.m.
 
Social Corner
Stay up-to-date with everything Bishop's Gaiters at www.gaiters.ca or on social media by using @BishopsGaiters or #GaiterNation.
 
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