VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds women's basketball team returns to regular season action with a pair of road games in Winnipeg this weekend. The Thunderbirds (7-3) will take on the Manitoba Bisons (2-9) on Friday evening, and then face the Winnipeg Wesmen (5-6) on Saturday evening.
 
GAME TIMES
Friday, January 11th - UBC vs. Manitoba @ 4 p.m. PST (Investors Group Athletic Centre, Winnipeg)
Saturday, January 12th - UBC vs. Winnipeg @ 3 p.m. PST (Duckworth Centre, Winnipeg)
 
The Thunderbirds have not played a regular season game since December 1 when they easily defeated the Lethbridge Pronghorns by a score 74-57. They closed out the 2012 portion of the season on a three game win streak and are currently ranked #9 in the CIS polls, their highest ranking thus far.

Individually, third-year guard Kris Young (North Vancouver) is having an MVP-like season to lead the Thunderbirds. She's ranked in the Canada West top five in all major statistical categories, including second in points per game (19.3), fourth in rebounds per game (8.5), and fifth in assists per game (4.6). She's been remarkably consistent, maintaining a .452 3-point field goal percentage (second) and a .503 overall field goal percentage (ninth).

The Thunderbirds have another force to be reckoned with in fifth-year centre Leigh Stansfield (Victoria, B.C.). The veteran leader is averaging 14.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. She had a career-high 23 points to power the Thunderbirds to victory in the final game of the Holiday Hoops tournament they played over the break.

The 'Birds played three games in three days and went undefeated in a tournament that featured the hosts Calgary Dinos, as well as the Lethbridge Pronghorns and McMaster Marauders. The young squad benefitted from the return of third-year guard Zana Williams (Vancouver), who came off the bench in the final game to score eight points. She missed the first half of the season due to knee injury but should be a reliable addition in the second half.
 
Manitoba Bisons (2-9, .182)
The Bisons have struggled so far this year, managing just two home wins against Brandon way back in early November. The come into Friday night's game on a seven game regular season losing streak, and also failed to secure a victory in a three-game holiday tournament at Saint Mary's against teams from Atlantic Canada.

As a team, the Bisons shoot a weak 32 per cent from the floor, and get outrebounded by their opponents by 18 boards on average. However, they do have a trio of players averaging in double-digit points. This includes Sheree Carmona-Galdomez (Vancouver), Robyn Eyer (Winnipeg), and Stephanie Gill (Vancouver).
 
Winnipeg Wesmen (5-6, .455)
The Wesmen look to continue their two game regular season win streak after splitting a pair of non-conference home games against Dickinson State over the holidays. Their last regular season game was a 68-60 overtime victory over the Bisons on December 5.

Yael Kaplan (Winnipeg) led the Wesmen that night with 19 points, including four three-balls. She's averaging 12.4 points this season and is dangerous from three-point range where she connects 42 per cent of her shots. However, teammate Stephanie Kleysen (Winnipeg) took home player of the game honours for her double-double effort. She had 14 points and hauled down 18 boards. Kleysen is averaging 8.4 points and 7.9 rebounds this season.

So far, the Wesmen have marginally outrebounded their opponents by a couple boards a night. Their strength as a team comes from moving the ball well with exceptional passing. They have 164 assists this season compared to 127 for the Thunderbirds, tying them for second most in Canada West basketball.

Both games can be seen live on www.canadawest.tv