MBB: Gaiters Beat No.3 Redmen For Early Christmas Gift
The Bishop’s Gaiters men’s basketball team beat the third ranked McGill Redmen in Montreal on Thursday, November 29. They hung onto win 84-79 in McGill’s home opener and the two squads’ final game of the semester.
The game was a back and forth affair from the opening tip. There were two ties and five lead changes in the opening quarter as McGill grabbed an early 20-17.
The second frame was more of the same as there were two more ties and five lead changes. This time it was the Gaiters outscoring the hosts 20-15 for a 37-35 halftime lead.
After the break the Redmen and Gaiters continued to exchange blows. There were four more lead changes in the quarter and three more ties. Neither team led by more than five points. The quarter came to an end with Bishop’s leading 60-56.
The Redmen started the fourth quarter in a zone defence and the Gaiters took advantage. Early in the game Bishop’s had asserted themselves with an inside presence. As the Redmen showed zone, they adjusted well. They hit three consecutive three pointers to open the quarter and clearly grabbed momentum. The Gaiters led by 14 points with 6:35 left in the game. The Redmen with the boisterous crowd behind them slowly chipped away and looked to be right back in the game as they cut the lead to just three points with 1:39 to go. Gaiters point guard, Scott Ring (Ottawa) took matters into his own hands when he hit an off-balance shot, drew a foul and successfully completed the three point play. Despite the heroics, McGill was able to cut the lead to two points and force a Gaiters turnover with 24 seconds to go. The Redmen were not able to convert and following a pair of Ring free throws the Gaiters had a two possession lead. A Mike Andrews (Oakville, Ontario) steal sealed the deal for Bishop’s as they upset the nation’s third ranked team and ended McGill’s 11 game winning streak.
Leading the way for the Gaiters was Andrews who scored 21 points, and grabbed six rebounds in 25 minutes. Ring chipped in with 18 points on 5-7 shooting from the field and a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe. Jeremy Leonard-Smith (Ottawa) and Onnex Blackwood (Scarborough, Ontario) added 17 and 10 points respectively. Bishop’s turned the ball over 13 times but had 11 steals. They were an impressive 17-21 from the free throw line.
The Redmen outrebounded Bishop’s 36-24 and made nine three pointers. They turned the ball over 24 times and committed seven more fouls than Bishop’s.
Bishop’s will be able to savour the victory as they savour their Christmas turkey. They are not back in action until December 28 when they play in the UQAM holiday tournament. The Gaiters will play three games before getting back into league action in the new year. Stay up to date with all of your Bishop’s teams at www.gaiters.ca.
