LENNOXVILLE, Que. – Saturday night marked a special one for the Gaiters, who showed up at Centre Sportif UQAM for the RSEQ Championship. After defeating Laval on the road in Quebec City on Thursday night, the Gaiters were poised to bring the banner back to Lennoxville. 

Both teams got out to nervous starts and both teams had short runs while exchanging leads. The Gaiters took a 22-17 lead into the second quarter on the backs of freshmen Zachary John (Scarborough/) and Etienne Gagnon (/Cegep de Sherbrooke), who each had 7 points in the opening 10 minutes. 

And then this game took a turn.  

The UQAM Citadins scored 30 points in the second quarter while seemingly knocking down every shot they took. Bahaide Haidara had 12 of his 23 points in the second, and the Citadins held the Gaiters to just 9 points in the quarter. The Gaiters found themselves in a hole at the break, down 47-31. 

The third frame started off very positively for the Gaiters, who rallied back and cut the lead to 9 points early on. Despite still trailing in the game, the Gaiters kept the third stanza much closer than the second. Still, they found themselves down 70-52 after three.  

The Gaiters came out with intent in the fourth quarter, but after fouls back-and-forth slowed the game down, this game started to feel further out of reach. Bishop's went shot for shot with the eager Citadins and won the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late for the visiting Gaiters. The final buzzer sounded to a win for the team in blue by a final score of 88-71. 

Bahaide Haidara and Kevin CIvil led the way for UQAM with 23 points each. Civil added 6 assists while Haidara had 6 rebounds. 

Freshman Zachary John (Scarborough/) was the leading scorer for the Gaiters with 17 points. Etienne Gagnon (/Cegep de Sherbrooke), the RSEQ rookie of the year, added a fitting double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Veteran guard Obinna Dike-Nwagbara (Montreal, QC/Champlain College Saint-Lambert) had a strong performance, adding 13 points. 

Despite the disappointing finish to the season, the Gaiters are set to have another strong year in 2023-24. With Dani Longarela (Madrid, Spain/Eckerd College) being the lone graduate, Bishop's went toe-to-toe with every team in the RSEQ year and made a statement with their appearance in the RSEQ Championship under first year head coach Matt McLean and his staff. 

Stay in the loop with Gaiters men's basketball team over the offseason by following them on Instagram @gaitersMBB. Stay up-to-date with everything Bishop's Gaiters on social media by following @BishopsGaiters or at www.gaiters.ca.