VANCOUVER – The West Division-leading UBC Thunderbirds women's basketball team will look to build on a good start to their season in the new year when they host two tough Eastern opponents in Alberta and Saskatchewan this Friday and Saturday night. The 'Birds first clash with the 6-2 Pandas on Friday at 6 p.m. followed by the 4-3 Huskies at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

No. 3 UBC Thunderbirds
2011 conference record: 4-2 (1st, West)
2011 CIS ranking: 3
Last week: at Biola University Holiday Classic - beat Avila (Mo.) 50-44, lost to Vanguard (Calif.) 45-58
Streak: 1 loss

The T-Birds should be pleased with their results before the break. Their only two losses came against Regina - the top team in the nation - and on the road in overtime against a 6-2 Calgary Dinos team. They have the second best scoring margin in the league and the second best opponent field goal percentage, thanks to their league-leading five blocks per game.

Zara Huntley and Leigh Stansfield have both been shot disruptors in the paint for UBC this year, combining for 2.5 blocks per game. They are also two of the four T-Birds pulling down at least six rebounds per game.

The rebounding leader is senior forward Alex Vieweg, who is also the team's second-leading scorer with 12.3 points per game on .527 shooting.

But the biggest story has been that fourth member of the six rebound club, sophomore shooting guard Kris Young. Her second season in the CIS is off to a great start, as she leads the conference in scoring by almost three full points per game at 20.5 on .500 shooting from the field.

She is also the conference free-throw leader, having missed just one of her 20 attempts this year, and the team assists leader with just over four per game.

No. 7 Alberta Pandas
2011 conference record: 6-2 (T2nd, East)
2011 CIS ranking: 7
Last week: 3 wins at Concordia tournament
Streak: 2 regular season losses

The Pandas lost two straight one-point heartbreakers at home heading into the break after a 6-0 start. Fourth-year guard Nicole Clark's career-high 28 points weren't enough to get past the Trinity Western Spartans, and she led the team in scoring again the following night as they were edged by the Fraser Valley Cascades.

But with a couple more good bounces the Pandas could easily be 8-0, and they have the stats to back it up. Their defence easily leads the league in points allowed, giving up less than 54 per game, and their offence is the third most efficient in the Canada West, including a league-leading .403 three-point percentage.

Clark dominates the scoring load as the only player averaging double digits in scoring. She puts up 17.1 per game and has made an impressive 50 per cent of her three-pointers this year.

No. 5 Saskatchewan Huskies
2011 conference record: 4-3 (4th, East)
2011 CIS ranking: 5
Last week: 2 wins vs. Arizona community colleges
Streak: 4 regular season wins

The Huskies have won four straight after their bumpy start to the season, and have friendly back end of the schedule to look forward to if they can survive the tough stretch ahead, with eight of their last 10 games to be played at home.

They are the best shooting team in the conference with a .431 field goal percentage, thanks to their offence running through senior post Kate Miyazaki. She is averaging 17 points on better than .500 shooting to lead the team, and is half of a deadly rebounding duo that has the Huskies among the conference leaders on the glass as well. Miyazaki averages seven boards while Dalyce Emmerson leads the team with eight, while adding 10 points per game.

Miyazaki is playing a well rounded game at both ends of the floor, with three steals and a team-leading four assists per game as well. Her battles with Huntley and Stansfield under the basket could go a long way to determining the outcome this weekend.