LENNOXVILLE, Que. – Bishop’s Gaiters basketball will get an early start to the season next week, as they host the University of Maine, an NCAA Division I school, in non-conference action. The women’s game is set for Friday, August 20, while the men will play on Tuesday, August 24. Both games are 7 p.m. starts at the Mitchell Gym.

The Gaiter women return nine players, including three starters, from last year’s team that went 12-14 overall (6-10 QUBL). Leading the returnees are co-players of the year Katy Germain and Mélanie Ouellet-Godcharles. Germain was fifth in the Quebec University Basketball League last season with an average of 12.1 points per game and was named a First Team All-Star for the second straight year. Ouellet-Godcharles was third in the province with 2.4 assists per game, and 12th in the league with 10.5 points per game.

Their opponents, the Maine Black Bears, were 8-21 overall last season, and finished tied for seventh in the nine-team America East conference with a 4-12 record. This will be the second of four games for Maine on their tour, as they start at UQAM on August 18 and head to UNB on August 21 and 22.

For Bishop’s, the matchup against Maine opens up a 28-game schedule that will see the Gaiters travel to tournaments at Lakehead, Carleton and UQAM in non-conference play.

On the men’s side, the Gaiters return 11 players, including three starters, from the 2009-10 squad that went 12-17 overall (7-9 QUBL) and advanced to the playoffs for the first time in four years. The Gaiters will be led by second-year guard Onnex Blackwood, who averaged 15.7 points and 5.8 rebounds last year, and was named a QUBL First Team All-Star.

Maine is also resurgent, as they return 11 players, including four starters, from last year’s team that went 19-11 and finished third in America East. This contest kicks off Maine’s five-game Canadian tour, as they will continue on to play McGill, UQAM, Carleton and Laval.

The Maine game will be the first of a 32-game schedule for the Gaiters. Men’s Basketball’s non-conference schedule includes a visit to Carleton, road trips to Nova Scotia and the Greater Toronto Area, as well as a pair of home games against Waterloo.

Admission is free to both Maine games.