VANCOUVER - The Pacific Division-leading Thunderbirds take their four-game win streak on the road to challenge a pair of Prairie foes this weekend. UBC takes on a tough Winnipeg Wesmen team on Friday and wraps up the trip against the Manitoba Bisons on Saturday.
Both games will be streamed live on
CanadaWest.tv
GAME TIMES
Fri., Jan. 20 - No. 3 UBC at Manitoba (4 p.m. at Investors Group Athletic Centre, Winnipeg, MB)
Sat., Jan. 21 - No. 3 UBC at Winnipeg (4 p.m. at Duckworth Centre, Winnipeg, MB)
No. 3 UBC Thunderbirds
2011-12 conference record: 8-2 (1st, Pacific Division)
2011-12 CIS ranking: 3
Last week: beat Thompson Rivers 74-58, 59-55
Streak: 4 wins
The T-Birds swept Thompson Rivers on the road last weekend, winning game one comfortably with a solid team shooting performance before squeaking by in game two on the strength of a huge performance by
Alex Vieweg. She accounted for the majority of the offence on the night with her 27 points and six assists in a 59-55 win.
Kris Young still leads the team in scoring with 17.4 points per game, and even when she isn't filling the basket her consistent defensive effort makes her a key contributor every night. But Vieweg's big performance last week has her cracking the top ten in league scoring as well, now averaging 13.5 to go with her team-leading 6.5 rebounds.
Zara Huntley is also chipping in consistently at both ends of the floor, averaging 13 points and six rebounds while remaining tied with teammate
Leigh Stansfield for the conference blocks lead.
Manitoba Bisons
2011-12 conference record: 3-9 (6th, Prairie Division)
2011-12 CIS ranking: -
Last week: lost to Regina 52-105, 60-84
Streak: 6 losses
It seems like an entire season ago that the Bisons were 3-3 and in the middle of the Prairie Division pack. Six straight losses later, their playoff hopes have all but evaporated.
Fifth-year forward Mubo Ilelaboye is the only player averaging double digits in scoring with 12 points per game, though her shooting percentage isn't high enough for an ideal primary scoring option. Unfortunately for the Bisons, their scoring options are quite limited, as Allison Balasko is the only other player scoring more than six points per game.
They are a young team though with just two fifth-year players and some promising youngsters, so finishing the season strong with something to build on for the future should give them plenty of motivation to get up for a big game against one of the conference's best teams.
Winnipeg Wesmen
2011-12 conference record: 7-5 (tied 4th, Prairie Division)
2011-12 CIS ranking: -
Last week: beat Brandon 71-25, 63-47
Streak: 3 wins
The Wesmen unsurprisingly took both games against the winless Brandon Bobcats last weekend, and now find themselves tied for the fourth and final guaranteed playoff spot in the Prairie Division. Hopefully they didn't get too comfortable playing the Bobcats though, as they have a brutally tough schedule remaining to finish the regular season.
After taking on the top two Pacific Division teams this weekend, they head on the road for two games against CIS No. 1 Regina, finishing with two games each against Saskatchewan and Calgary, who are both currently tied with them for that fourth playoff spot.
They are 0-4 against teams with winning records so far this year, and have the third-worst offence in the conference, so they need to find a way to elevate their game against the cream of the crop to avoid sliding out of the playoff picture down the stretch.
Yael Kaplan and Amy Ogidan both average just over 11 points per game to lead the team. Part of their problem offensively has been the lack of last year's Canada West Rookie of the Year on the floor. Stephanie Kleysen has been their most efficient scorer by a mile when she's in the lineup, but she has only been active for six games this year, and for very limited minutes.
She has appeared in all four games since the break for Winnipeg though, so if she can get back up to speed it will make a huge difference for Winnipeg's playoff hopes as the season winds down.
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