SHERBROOKE, Que. – It was only a matter of time before the storied Bishop's Gaiters women's basketball returned to the post-season. After a six-year hiatus, they are back in the playoffs on Wednesday night in Montreal. They enter as the third seed and will tip-off at 6 p.m. against the second seed and defending national champions, the No.7 McGill Martlets in an RSEQ semifinal.
 
Coach's Corner
"It is an exciting time for the players and it is an exciting time for the program," said Gaiters' head coach Craig Norman. "I think we have had a tremendous season, we've been working hard and we are focused on McGill. We look at this game as a great challenge.  We feel honoured and privileged to go into the defending champs' gym and have to knock them off to move forward. Make no mistake our team is ready and we can play with McGill.  We have been totally focused and our prep has been great.  I feel we are mentally and physically ready to battle."
 
We Upset You
Despite entering the game as the lower seed, Bishop's is familiar with big wins this year.  They have beaten six teams ranked in the Top-10 including the McGill Martlets on Jan. 26 when they were the No.1 team in the nation.
 
Head-to-head
Bishop's and McGill have met four times this year, with McGill boasting a 3-1 record.  After the Martlets ran away 74-51 on Nov. 25, the two squads battled in January.  Bishop's won 52-40 on Jan. 26 while McGill returned the favour 66-57 on Jan. 27.  McGill won the fourth meeting 70-46 on Feb. 17.
 
Last time out
Bishop's took down the Concordia Stingers on Friday night in Mitchell Gym to even their regular season record at 8-8.  The win also knocked Concordia out of the playoffs.  McGill beat UQAM 59-51 on Saturday after falling to 63-44 to Laval on Thursday night.
 
Where we stand
At 11-5 McGill finished as the second seed in the RSEQ, while Bishop's enters as the third seed at 8-8.  The other semifinal will feature fourth-seed UQAM (5-11) traveling to Quebec City to play top dog Laval (12-4). That tip is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m.
                                       
Who to Watch
Bishop's
The Gaiters have without a doubt been led by fifth-year floor general Edith Noblecilla (Guayaquil, Ecuador/Santo Domingo de Guzmain).  Her final campaign as a Gaiter was her best.  She finished as the Gaiters' leading scorer with 12.8 points per game (6^th in RSEQ). Her 5.4 assists per game placed her well atop the RSEQ standings and second in all of U SPORTS. She was also the conference's top thief with 2.1 steals per game. Rounding out her versatile year, she recorded 5.6 rebounds per game (13^th in RSEQ) and was sixth the country in minutes played at 34.6 per game (2^nd in RSEQ). On Friday against Concordia, she was one rebound shy of a triple-double with 13 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
 
Mara Marchzotti also kept her best for last. After helping Argentina qualify for the World Cup this summer Marchizotti returned to Bishop's poised to finish her career in style. She averaged 11.8 points per game (8^th in RSEQ) and 7.3 rebounds per game (5^th in RSEQ). Her 1.3 blocks per game placed her third in the conference and her 41.9 percent field goal percentage was seventh.
 
Rookie Marie-Evrardine Berrouette (Montreal, Que./Dawson College) transitioned to the U SPORTS level almost seamlessly.  The former Dawson Blue led the Gaiters in rebounding at 8.6 per game (4^th in RSEQ). She was also third in the RSEQ in steals at 1.8 per contest.
 
McGill
Alexandra Kiss-Rusk averaged a double-double with 14.3 points and 11.8 rebounds per game placing her third and first in the RSEQ respectively. She also tallied 1.2 blocks per game and was efficient at the offensive end with a 45.3 percent field goal percentage.
 
Frederique Potvin chimes in as the fifth best scorer in the RSEQ (13.1 points per game). She also averaged 3.3 assists (4^th in RSEQ) and 1.6 steals per game (5^th in RSEQ). From the charity stripe, there was no one better in the conference.  She converted at 87.3 percent, placing her third in the country.  Potvin scored in double figures in each of her four games against Bishop's.
 
Familiar Foes
Norman, the Gaiters bench boss was at the helm of the McGill men's program from 2004-2010 while Ryan Thorne, McGill's head coach had an outstanding five-year playing career for the Bishop's Gaiters that included the 1998 National Championship.
 
A long time coming
The Gaiters will play their first post-season game since Feb. 28, 2012. None of the Gaiters on the current roster has had a taste of the RSEQ University post-season.
 
Post Season Notes
Since 1988-89 Bishop's is 4-1 against McGill in the post-season, however 0-1 in Montreal…Their last playoff meeting came in 2007 with Bishop's winning 62-48 in an RSEQ semifinal…that was also Bishop's last playoff win…Bishop's has not won in Love Competition Hall since Jan. 6, 2010.
 
Missed it by that much
Bishop's and McGill competed in the Gaiters' Christmas tournament.  Both teams went 2-0 beating the UNB Varsity Reds and the Ryerson Rams (ranked No.10 at the time). McGill was declared tournament champions based on points for and against, a difference of just three.
 
Hey Now, You're an All-Star
RSEQ all-stars and major award winners will be announced on Wednesday at 12 noon.  Stay tuned to www.gaiters.ca for all the latest news and information.
 
Watch Closely
Wednesday's semifinal can be watched live at: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/mcgill/
 
Full Coverage
Stay tuned to @BishopsGaiters and #GaiterNation on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and SnapChat for complete coverage as the Gaiters return to the RSEQ playoffs on Wednesday night.
 
Next Up
With the season hanging in the balance, Bishop's travels to Montreal to face the McGill Martlets at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. A win and Bishop's will play in the RSEQ Championship on Saturday either at Laval or at home against the UQAM Citadins, a loss and the Gaiters season is over.
 
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