The UBC Thunderbirds women's basketball team will host a pair of opponents from the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference this week, as they prepare to kick off their Canada West season two weeks from now.
Tonight, the 'Birds will square off against the Ryerson Rams, with the opening tip-off set for 6:00 p.m. (PT). The T-Birds' second game of the week, against the visiting Western Mustangs, will take place this Sunday, October 25 at 12:00 p.m. (PT). Both of this week's games will be held at War Memorial Gym.
The T-Birds are coming off a 1-2 performance at the Ryerson-hosted Darcel Wright Memorial Classic, as they fell in their first two games to Guelph, by a score of 55-65, and Laval, by a score of 56-66, before taking down York 58-52 in their final game of the competition. The T-Birds ended the tournament in seventh place
Fourth-year forward
Kara Spotton led the team in scoring throughout the competition, racking up 15 points against Guelph before knocking down 22 points and seven boards against Laval. Spotton saved her best for last, as she dominated York to the tune of 29 points and 12 rebounds in the team's lone win.
Ryerson will come into tonight's contest fresh off a third-place finish at their own tournament, as they amassed a 2-1 record, with wins over the Calgary Dinos and Guelph Gryphons bookending a loss to the Saskatchewan Huskies.
The Rams are lead by fifth-year guard Keneca Pingue-Giles and second-year center Sofia Paska. Pingue-Giles was named a First-Team OUA All-Star 2014-15 following a season in which she averaged 17.5 points, 3.3 steals, and 5.6 boards per game, a complete stat line that highlights her two-way dominance. Paska started all 19 games in her rookie year for the Rams, posting impressive averages of 10.6 points and 5.6 boards per contest. The solid play and impressive numbers combined to earn Paksa a spot on the 2014-15 OUA All-Rookie Team.
The duo helped Ryerson earn a franchise-record 32 points in the regular season on the back of a 16-3 record. The Rams fell short in the CIS national tournament, dropping a decision in the quarterfinals to UBC.
The Mustangs weren't as prolific in 2014-15 as their Ryerson counterparts, as they dinished with a 7-13 record . That trend has continued so far in this year's pre-season. Western is just 2-4 in six preseason games, though they did pull out a 72-61 win over the UNB Varsity Reds in their most recent outing.
Though the Mustangs have struggled early, they still possess a few quality pieces that can pose a threat to any team in the country. Two of the main pieces around which Western revolves are fifth-year guard Caroline Wolynski and her second-year backourt mate Maddy Horst. Wolynski capped off her fourth season in the league with a Second Team OUA All-Star selection, as she finished the season averaging 12.2 points per game. Horst made a huge impact in her first year in OUA, as her 10.7 points per game and team-leading 2.6 assists per game were good enough to land her a spot alongside Paaka on the 2014-15 OUA All-Rookie Team.
