Gaiters Top Redmen, Move Into 1st

Wednesday vs. McGill

       BU       25   14   6   11  -  56
#10 MU       8    16   7   11  -  42

As you can tell from the line score above this was hardly a classic! There were supposed to be 2 good teams playing each other last night, but you would hardly know it. I know I sound a little harsh, but I am pretty sure the McGill staff might say I was understating this!  Regardless, we will take the 'W' and move on.

The game started with us getting out to an 11-0 lead which included 3 three pointers to start the game. Pretty unconventional for us, but that basically gave us the  cushion we needed in a low scoring game. We did manage to push our lead up to 20 points in the first half, but were only up 15 at the break. I really felt uncomfortable about how we did not take the opportunity to put McGill away in the first half. They were not playing the way they normally do and we did not take advantage of that. 15 points at half time is hardly insurmountable, especially vs. a good team.

We did manage to hang on in the 3rd quarter as both teams tried to set the sport of basketball back a century...you won't see too many 7-6 quarters in CIS basketball, football maybe! McGill did cut the lead  to  9 in the 4th, but  that was about it.

Jeremy counted 12 points for us & chipped in 5 rebounds. Tim had 10 pts & 9 rebounds. Scott had 6 assists & really provided stability in the 4th quarter when things teetering on the edge of out of control. Both teams combined for 50 turnovers...we had a season high 27!

This Saturday we face a very unpredictable & dangerous UQAM team. We beat them easily last week. However, I expect anything, but an easy game at UQAM. They beat Concordia for the 2nd time last week and will be well rested this week. Game time is 7 pm and will be webcasted on www.ssncanada.ca.

  Go Gaiters!!

Gaiters Frustrated in QC City

Saturday @ Laval

BU        12   23   15   17  -  67
UL        20    8    20   21  -  69

From a coach's perspective this was by far the most frustrating loss of the year. We are starting to play very well as a team at this point, but every now & then we get undisciplined with some simple details...like reaching in on defense when we are not in position to do so! That alone cost us 6 points in the 2nd half of this game and ultimately led to  the loss! Laval definitely made some plays, but we definitely gave them an opportunity to do so at times.

After a slow start defensively where we gave up 15 points in the first 5 minutes we settled in and held Laval to a total of 13 points in the next 15 minutes.  We were playing as a team & were disciplined! The 2nd half started well and we built a 10 point lead before we had  a few guys who decided to go off the page so to speak...48 hrs later and this game still really bothers me! Laval took advantage of our miscues and built a 7 point lead with 6 minutes to go before we cut it back to 1 point again. With 40 seconds to go Laval had the ball under our basket with a 69-65 lead & our guys executed perfectly defensively creating a turnover. On the ensuing possession we scored on a drive to the basket to cut the lead to 2. Laval called timeout which advances the ball to the offensive end and again our guys did a great job of creating a 5 second violation without fouling off the out of bounds situation.  We got the ball back deep in our end & we executed well enough to get a decent shot which missed, but we were there for the O rebound which we missed from point blank range at the buzzer. Game over...a game we should not have lost, but deserved to in a lot  of ways!

 

Big Mike led our scoring with 14 points while adding 8 rebounds & 3 blocked shots. Matt McLean added a career high 4 blocked shots as well. Freshman guard Jona Bermillo was inserted into the starting line up in place of injured Onnex Blackwood and Jona may have been our best player scoring 12 points. Tim had 11 points, but has yet to find his shooting touch. 

This my first attempt at adding video to the blog...video feed from Laval is not great quality, but it gives you a quick  look at our team.  

Wednesday we host McGill and win for us could put us back into a 1st place tie. Right now we are tied for 2nd with Concordia who got surprised by 7 at UQAM on Saturday. If  you don't show up to play in our league you will lose! 

Our game will  be webcasted on www.ssncanada.ca.

Go Gaiters!!

Back to Winning Ways

Wednesday vs. UQAM

BU              22   25   21   16  -  84
UQAM       16   13   17   14  -  60

Much like  our last game vs. UQAM we got off  to a good start by jumping out to a 9-0 lead. Defensively we were pretty good in the half court, but our usually decent defensive transition was poor and we allowed UQAM to cut into our lead. Offensively we were good, but we had the opportunity to hold  our opponent to a smaller number in the first  half had we not been so sloppy.

Freshman Guard Jona Bermillo

Regardless, we did not let up too much and maintained our lead throughout. We led  by as much as 30 points with 5 minutes to go and that afforded us to play all 12 guys. We did however have to go much deeper than usual earlier in the game due to 3 ankle sprains...Onnex, Tim & Scott all went down at various points and we had foul trouble! Injuries and fouls are a bad combination. Fortunately our bench was very good. Freshman guard Jona Bermillo had a career game scoring 18 points while adding 6 rebounds & 5 assists and 2nd yr guard Jamil Abiad had a career high 10 points. We  had solid all around contributions with 10 of 12 guys scoring and 11 of  12 guys grabbing at least 1 rebound.

Big Mike led everyone with 20 points, 13 rebounds  & 4  blocked shots...Mike had a double-double by halftime! As previously mentioned Jona & Jamil each hit double figures. It was nice to get back to our more normal shooting at the free throw line as we made 24-31 attempts and we did out rebound UQAM 48-35...that is rare!

Next up we travel to Laval on Saturday. It will be a test as we won't have Onnex due to the ankle sprain. Tim & Scott will be game day decisions, but we expect them to play. The win vs. UQAM breaks our first 2 game losing streak of  the year and leaves us pretty much in a 3 way tie with McGill & ConU  for the top 2 spots in the league.

The Laval  game  can be viewed on-line at: www.rougeetor.tv.
Go Gaiters!!!

Stung @ ConU

Saturday @ Concordia

BU       18   16   14   20  -  68
CU       22   21   29   10  -  82

This was the first time all year we have been out-classed in a game. Concordia was very good and we were far from our best. We have lost 2 games this week, but I can honestly say our attitude had nothing to do with it. Getting nationally ranked did not go to our heads and we did not get caught up in reading our own press clippings. It was more of a combination of being a bit beat up and playing against very good teams.

As they say, the season is a marathon. To this point we had not lost 2 games in a row. I don't think it was realistic to think we were not going to face some adversity at some point this season. I feel our group has the mettle to fight through this and expect we will bounce back this week. The adversity is part of our team's growth and without it we would not get better.

Back to the game...we had a good start and rebounded better than we have in a while beating ConU on the glass. We had a goal of scoring 10 points off the offensive boards for the game...we had 9 points in the first half. Our offensive rebounding kept us in it.

PG - Scott Ring

Down 9 at the half we were poised to have a good 3rd quarter. ConU had other plans as we uncharacteristically turned the ball over & allowed them to start on an 8-0 run. It got ugly for a while as everything was going their way. I think we were down by as much as 27 at one point. Fortunately we battled back cutting the lead to 10. We never threatened to win, but we did get back to a manageable point spread...if teams split in our league and are tied in the standings then point spread is the first tie breaker.

We had no real offensive or defensive stars. Onnex played half the minutes he usually plays due to foul trouble, but still led us with 11 points. Scott pitched in 11 as well, while Big Mike had 10. We again managed to force +25 turnovers as ConU had 26 for the game. We had 22 which is 8 over our average.

Next up is UQAM at home on Wednesday. This is a big game...can solidify a worst case scenario of 3rd place and put us back into a tie for 1st or 2nd place. I will keep you posted!
Go Gaiters!!

Redmen End Gaiters 8 Game Win Streak

Wednesday vs. McGill

BU        15   15    8   22  -  60
MU       20   15   13  15  -  63

Sometimes when good things come to an end it  is a good  thing! Hoping that is the case here. We did not play our typical game last night which is partly due to McGill and partly due to us. We did not  come out with same fire as we had the last time we played and McGill was certainly playing with something to prove. We struggled containing their 3 point shooters and played one of  our poorer halves of defensive basketball in a while. Despite that we were only down 5 at the halftime.

Time to re-group!!

To start the 3rd quarter we missed 3 shots at the rim and went 2-4 from the foul line that would have pushed us into the lead. McGill did a good job defensively, but we did not take advantage of the opportunities we had. An anemic 8 point 3rd quarter put us in a not so great position heading into the final 10 minutes. We did come to life in the final 6 minutes in the game creating some scoring opportunities with our defense...we started to look like the team we have seen all year! We cut the lead to 3 at the end, but never did get a shot to tie the game.

McGill simply wanted the game more than us for the first 35 minutes. They murdered us on the glass and beat us to loose balls. I would expect to see a different effort Saturday vs. Concordia and in 2 weeks when we face McGill again. This loss should be a good thing for our team...not what we wanted, but should promote growth!

Big Mike led us with 18 points & 5 rebounds. Onnex had 15 points while Jeremy chipped in with 11. The loss leaves us tied for first place with McGill and 1 game ahead of Concordia. That makes Saturday's match up all the more important. Game time is 4pm in the cozy confines of ConU's gym.

Go Gaiters!!

Gaiters Men’s Basketball Crack Top-10 for first time since 1999

Jan. 15, 2013

OTTAWA (CIS) – The Bishop’s Gaiters men’s basketball team cracked the top-10 in Canada this week when the rankings were released on Tuesday morning. It was the first time since March 9, 1999.  The Gaiters enter the polls as the nation’s ninth ranked team.  Their 5-1 record has them on top of the RSEQ standings. The Gaiters will face the McGill Redmen on Wednesday, January 16 at 8 p.m. following the Lady Gaiters and Martlets game slated for 6 p.m. Both games will take place in Mitchell Gymnasium on the Bishop’s campus. Below is the release from the CIS.

There are no changes this week atop CIS national rankings.

Fraser Valley (women’s basketball), Carleton (men’s basketball), McGill (women’s hockey), Alberta (men’s hockey & men’s volleyball), UBC (women’s swimming & women’s volleyball), Toronto (men’s swimming) and Guelph (women’s & men’s track and field) all maintain their No. 1 status.

Men’s basketball

Top-ranked Carleton (11-1) was dominant in road victories against Toronto (2-9), 91-57, and Ryerson (10-1), 91-66. The Ravens, who host Queen’s (9-3) on Saturday, now hold the best mark in the OUA thanks to their win over previously undefeated Ryerson, which moves up one spot to No. 6 in the new coaches’ poll despite its lopsided loss to the reigning CIS champions.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

(regular season record) / votes (first-place votes) / (previous rankings)

1. Carleton (11-1) / 395 points (32) / (1)

2. UBC (10-2) / 364 (1) / (2)

3. Acadia (7-1) / 328 / (3)

4. Cape Breton (9-0) / 289 / (5)

5. Alberta (10-2) / 242 / (6)

6. Ryerson (10-1) / 234 / (7)

7. Fraser Valley (7-5) / 184 / (4)

8. Windsor (8-3) / 154 / (8)

9. Bishop’s (5-1) / 112 / (NR)

10. Ottawa (10-2) / 97 / (10)

Other teams receiving votes: McGill (78), Saskatchewan (51), Lakehead (21).

Gaiters Grind Out Road Win @ Laval

Friday @ Laval

BU        20   17   16   15  -  68
UL        16   13   17   19  -  65

3rd yr Mike Andrews

This was a tough week with 3 games (2 of them on the road) in 6 days and no time for quality practices. To compound that we still are missing our key energy guy off the bench in Patrik Kabongo who is out with a back injury...should be back in a week or so we hope. We missed his minutes as we needed that experience, defense & rebounding last night. Regardless, our guys hung tough all week and they found a way to win on tired legs in Quebec City.

The game started with Laval coming out very aggressively. They were physical & definitely had the mentality they would be taking it to us. We managed to deal with that pretty well as our defense was solid and our inside game controlled the tempo. We were able to get to the foul line and Big Mike was, as our guys would term it, 'doing work' in the post. He scored on an array of moves and we thought he had put the Laval big man in foul trouble...but that is another story! Laval played well & never did allow us to stretch a lead out in the first half. We did manage to take the lead for good with 3 minutes to go in the half though.

We played pretty controlled & consistently (I might have a different opinion after watching the video this morning!) in the 2nd half and led by 7 or 8 points until the final minutes of the game. We made a couple of turnovers down the stretch which Laval converted into scores that brought them back to within a point with 11 seconds to go. However, Jeremy Leonard-Smith made 2 free throws to seal the win.

Big Mike was a force scoring 20 points, grabbing 7 rebounds & blocking or altering many shots. At times he is proving he has the potential to be not only one of top posts in our conference, but also in the CIS...consistency is the key & that seems to be improving. Onnex Blackwood continues to show he is the most improved defender on our team and he has not lost his scoring touch. Onnex had 16 points and 5 rebounds. Jeremy was solid again with 10 points and some tough D while Tim had 8 points & 5 assists. Matt McLean had 9 rebounds to lead us on the glass.

Our guys get a well deserved weekend off...sort of...we lift, condition & stretch Sunday morning to ensure they have a productive Sunday afternoon of studying! Wednesday we host McGill and next Saturday we travel to play Concordia (*Game time @ ConU is 4 pm). Both games have huge implications in the playoff picture as we are all are in a fight for the top 3 spots in our league & home playoff positions. Hope to see a few of you at the games...had a nice crowd last Wednesday night at home. Let's do that again!

Go Gaiters!!

Excellent 1st Half Pushes Gaiters Past UQAM

Wednesday vs. UQAM

BU            20   20   17   12  -  69
UQAM      12   10   18   18  -  58

If you were watching on-line and tuned out after the first half I would consider that a good choice. We definitely played our best basketball in the first 20 minutes. Defensively were sharp and kept UQAM off balance. Offensively we moved the ball, had good shot selection and only had 4 turnovers.

1st yr Wing Ryan Foster

The second half was not so much of the same. We had glimpses and a few highlights, but we did not sustain our intensity or focus for the duration of the second half and allowed UQAM to cut the lead down to 8 points in the 4th quarter. UQAM battles hard & really does compete, but we should have never let it get to that point. Is it part of the evolution of becoming a winning team? Might be, but I think I can speak for our coaching staff when I say we are going to lose our minds if we don't start putting teams away earlier when we have the opportunity!We need to develop that maturity in the coming games.

Defensively we managed to force UQAM into 25 turnovers while only turning over the ball 10 times ourselves. I believe we lead the CIS in turnover margin & steals. Offensively we were balanced, but shot poorly from the foul line for the 2nd straight game going 13-24.

1st yr Guard Jona Bermillo

Our scoring was pretty balanced with Onnex hitting for 16, Jeremy with 14 while Tim & Big Mike each added 12. Tim also added 6 steals & 2 blocked shots. Jeremy was solid defensively & really stabilized our team. Big Mike returned to form & showed us he was ready to play when his first fg attempt was a strong dunk attempt over defender drawing the foul. We need him playing with that mentality! Freshman guard Jona Bermillo had a strong 1st half contibuting 4 points & 3 steals.

Friday we travel to Laval which is never an easy trip. Laval is young, but has talent  and are a dangerous team...they did beat Concordia at home last game of the first semester. You can follow the game Friday at 8pm on www.rougeetor.tv.

Go Gaiters!!

Gaiters Top Citadins in Montreal

Sunday @ UQAM

BU           19   17   20   12  -  68
UQAM    17   15   16   18  -  66

As every game is with UQAM, this was a physical affair. It was a battle of UQAM trying to impose their will on us with their strength and us trying to push them out of their comfort zone with our defensive pressure. They outrebounded us 45-35, but we forced 27 turnovers vs 15 of our own. That alone should have given us enough of an advantage to win comfortably if we had capitalized. However, we managed to shoot 11-24 from the line (we avg 74% on the yr!) and 25-72 from the floor...a few bad shots, but we missed too many high percentage shots. We shot 4 more free throws & 18 more field goals attempts than UQAM!

Point Guard Scott Ring

We stretched a 4 point lead at half time to 8 at the end of the 3rd quarter. From there on in we led by 5 to 10 points until UQAM hit a 3 pointer with 4 seconds to go to close the lead to 2 points. We had opportunities to build significant leads in this game, but failed to take advantage of those opportunities. The result was a closer game that was hardly beautiful to watch. Regardless, we will take not playing your best and getting a road win. We will need to be better Wednesday night or UQAM will turn the tables on us.

Tim Hunter has started to come on again the last couple of games. Tim had 16 points and 5 rebounds to lead us. Jeremy & Onnex each added 12 points. Big Mike struggled, but had 8 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists & 3 blocks. PG Scott Ring continues to be steady as he chipped in with 5 pts, 4 assists, 3 steals & 10 rebounds.

This Wednesday we host UQAM in what will be another slugfest no doubt. The rivalries in our conference are intense and the night you don't show up to play is the night you will go home with a loss. We currently are in 1st place, but there is still a lot of basketball left to play. Hoping we can continue toward solidifying a playoff spot & the opportunity to host a playoff game or 2.

Go Gaiters!!

Gaiters Sweep 3 Games @ UQAM Tourney

Friday December 28th  vs. Montreal Alumni Allstars

BU      - 78
MAA  - 67

This game was not actually part of the tournament. Regardless it was a good opportunity to lose a little bit of the rust that had accumulated over the last month. The game was rather uneventful, but was a good chance to get our bench some extra court time. Freshman Ryan Foster took advantage of his opportunity to play as he scored 12 points in 14 minutes. Big Mike led us with 13 points.




Saturday December 29th vs. Memorial University

BU      16   10   12   14  -  52
MUN   5    11   13   10  -  39


Defensively we were pretty good all game with a few exceptions. We managed sustain ball pressure & take Memorial's best scorers out of the game. However, we missed an inordinate amount of lay-ups that were very high % shots we normally make. It was really dumbfounding! We shot a ridiculous 19-72 from the floor and there were not many bad shots in that 72. Our offensive execution was OK and we created a lot of opportunities on the fast break with our defense. Despite that we did not reward ourselves.

Memorial never really threatened our lead as we managed to maintain the double digit lead through out. Onnex led us in scoring with 17 points, but both he & I would tell you he should of scored at least double that in a game he termed as 'the worst game he has ever played'! Regardless, his defense was solid. Big Mike had 10 points and 10 rebounds.



Sunday December 30th  vs. U of Waterloo

BU      9   20   18   25  -  72
UW    24   4    16    5   -  49

Waterloo is talented and well coached, but we let them take it to us in the 1st quarter. Needless to say, as a coaching staff we were not too impressed with how we came out to play. It was not a matter of  X's & O's and I conveyed that message a little less eloquently after the first quarter. It was up to the guys on the floor to take control of the game and they did that with 20-4 2nd quarter performance. The final 3 quarters we were very good defensively except for a spurt in the 3rd quarter where Waterloo knocked down three quick 3 point shots. However, we locked down defensively holding Waterloo to 5 points in the 4th and put them away with some slick 3 point shooting by Onnex, Jeremy and Ryan Foster. Ryan came off the bench to score 11 4th quarter points. Ryan definitely has a shooter's mentality and can put points up quickly.

Jeremy played his best game of the weekend scoring 17 points & grabbing 6 rebounds. Onnex added 13 & 6. Tim Hunter was a factor with 5 assists and started to assert himself on both ends of the floor.

Despite winning all our games we did not win the tournament. UQAM also won their games, but got the tournament championship due to the fact they had a much better point differential in their win over Memorial.

UQAM is our next opponent as we travel their to play them at 8pm on Sunday January 6th. This is the re-scheduled game from the first semester where an administrative mistake caused our first league game to be cancelled. We expect a very tough game and there will be no easy games the rest of the year. Hope to see a few friends, family and Alumni out at the game!

Happy New Year & and wishing everyone a prosperous 2013! GO GAITERS!!
Rod