SHERBROOKE, Que. – Firmly locked into fourth place is the RSEQ University Men's Basketball standings, the Bishop's Gaiters step onto the floor on Friday night for the final time in the regular season.  Their opponent, the Concordia Stingers, sit in second place but just two points up on Laval, meaning a home playoff date is still up for grabs. Leading the Gaiters will be David Belanger (Sherbrooke, Que./Champlain-St. Lambert), the fifth-year forward who will make his final appearance in Mitchell Gym.
 
Super Senior
Belanger, a Sherbrooke native and International Studies student, is the lone graduating Gaiter on the men's side. He is a former RSEQ Champion (2014-15) and member of the RSEQ all-rookie team (2013-14).  He is poised to earn an all-star nod this year as he sits 10^th in the conference in scoring at 10.9 points per game and second in rebounding at 8.0 per game. He is also fourth in field goal percentage at .508.  The four-year captain has certainly left a positive mark on the institution, as he is also involved on the academic side.
 
Playoffs…PLAYOFFS!
The Gaiters (5-10 RSEQ) are back in the post-season for the first time since they won the RSEQ championship in 2015.  They will be the fourth seed and face No.6 McGill (12-2 RSEQ), the top dog in the conference in the first round of the playoffs.  That game is set for Wednesday, Feb. 28 in Montreal at 8 p.m.
 
Elsewhere, Concordia (9-5 RSEQ) and Laval (8-6 RSEQ) will meet as the second and third seeds although the order and therefore location is still to be determined.
 
UQAM (2-13) is eliminated from playoff contention.
 
Friday's Fun
Concordia and Bishop's have met three times this year with the Stingers winning each game.  Before Christmas, the Stingers rolled to an 88-71 victory while the two teams battled in what were two heated games in January.  Concordia came away with 90-85 and 79-74 victories.
 
Abdul Kamane (Montreal, Que./Vanier College) led the way for the Gaiters in two of the three games. He scored 22 and 20 while Joany Castor Thadal (Saint-Leonard, Que./Champlain-St. Lambert) scored 20 in the second contest to pace the Gaiters.  Belanger scored 15 and 12 points in the first two games and grabbed 13 rebounds, including seven at the offensive end in the most recent contest.
 
Rookie Nervens Demosthene (Terrebonne, Que. ) has also turned heads since drawing into the lineup after Christmas.  He has tallied 19 points in each of the games he has played against Concordia.
 
For the Stingers, Ricardo Monge has had two big games.  Before Christmas, he scored 23 points, while in the two games after the break he chalked up 23 and 10, although he was just 4-19 from the floor in the only other game in Mitchell Gym. Also, keep an eye on Ken Beaulieu who tallied 20 and 15 in the two January games. That included a 13-rebound performance in Lennoxville.
 
Beaulieu and Monge each sit in the top-10 in RSEQ scoring at sixth and eighth respectively.
 
C'mon Kamane
It is safe to say that Abdul Kamane (Montreal, Que./Vanier College) has had his best year to date as a Gaiter.  The former RSEQ Rookie of the Year leads the conference in scoring by over seven points per game.  His 22.3 place him seventh in Canada. On the glass, he is eighth in RSEQ rebounding at 6.3 per game, sixth in assists (2.6 per game), sixth in three-point field goal percentage (34.1) and fifth in free throw percentage (68.9).  He has been to the charity stripe 151 times, that is 56 more than the second place in the league and his 104 makes are double his nearest competitor. He is the only player in Canada to get to the charity stripe on average more than 10 times per game.
 
Coach's Comments
"We are trying to prepare for this game but also prepare for playoffs," said Gaiters' bench boss Rod Gilpin. "It's an important game because it's a home game and it's Dave Belanger's last game in Mitchell Gym. We approach every game with the attitude we want to prepare to be successful but we certainly have some focus on next week as well.
 
"Dave has always represented our program and our school in such a fantastic way," Gilpin added. "He's an excellent leader in our program as well as the other side of campus where he is the head delegate for Model UN."
 
Shoot for the Cure
Friday's games not only mark seniors' night for both the men and the women at Bishop's, it is also the annual Shoot for the Cure night.  The nation-wide event that originated in Mitchell Gym is in its 11^th year and has raised over $1.1 million for charities across the country.  The Lady Gaiters will don pink uniforms and be on hand to collect donations for Ruban Rose, the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation.
 
Social Scene
Stay up-to-date with everything Bishop's Gaiters at www.gaiters.ca or on social media using @BishopsGaiters or #GaiterNation.
 
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