VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds and Trinity Western Spartans, both 1-1 after a week of regular season action, will meet this Friday and Saturday night at War Memorial Gym to write the latest chapter in their Pacific Division rivalry.
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on Friday and at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will be streamed with live statistics atÂ
CanadaWest.tv, while Friday's matchup will also be broadcast live on CiTR-FM 101.9.
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The T-Birds went down in Regina after being outrebounded and outplayed in the paint by the CIS No. 6 Cougars. The front court is an area of concern for the 'Birds with so many new pieces figuring into the mix, but the talent is certainly there for UBC to compete in the low post. It's just a matter of getting everyone healthy and up to speed in a new system.
Fourth-year transfer
Harleen Sidhu bounced back nicely in game two last week against Brandon, racking up 14 rebounds and 12 points while leading the team with 35 minutes off the bench. The T-Birds outrebounded Brandon 49-35.
Although it's her first year with UBC, Sidhu has to be a force for the T-Birds around the basket, especially with fellow transfer forward
Lauren Seabrook still sitting out injured. Returning third-year T-Bird
Adrienne Parkin completes the core of the front court rotation.
Canada West 2012-13 MVP
Kris Young is off to a nice start, with 16 and 28-point performances under her belt from week one. She also grabbed eight boards against Brandon, and her perimeter rebounding could be a very important aspect of the game for UBC this season as they work on getting healthy up front.Â
The Spartans started the season with an impressive win over Calgary before faltering in game two, losing at home to Lethbridge, who were ranked 13th out of 16 Canada West teams in the league's preseason coaches' poll. Those are the kinds of let-downs the Spartans can't afford to have as they look to establish themselves as real contenders again in the Pacific Division and end a four-year playoff drought.
Rebounding was a struggle for the Spartans too, as they survived a -12 margin against Calgary but couldn't overcome their -14 effort against Lethbridge. Even forcing 29 Lethbridge turnovers for a +15 margin in that category couldn't save the Spartans, partially due to their complete inability to stop the Pronghorns from having their way offensively around the basket. Lethbridge shot .531 as a team, with forward Kim Veldman racking up 16 rebounds and 30 points – something that UBC's front court has undoubtedly taken note of as they look to establish their own rhythm early in the season.
But the Spartans aren't without some potentially dangerous low post players of their own. Lauren Weigl notched a double double against Calgary, and Holly Strom rattled off back-to-back 20 point, seven rebound performances to start her season.
The back court hasn't been as productive offensively for the Spartans, but they are forcing a boatload of turnovers so far, so UBC's young guard ranks of
Cassandra Knievel,
Maggie Sundberg and
Cherub Lum will need to be alert and limit those cheap transition opportunities for Trinity Western.
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