VANCOUVER - Coming off a 2-1 showing on their recent three-game California road trip, the UBC Thunderbirds men's basketball team, ranked ninth in the nation, will return to Canada West play with a pair of back-to-back contests this weekend, as they host the visiting Lethbridge Pronghorns.
 
The first contest will tip-off at 8 p.m. (PT) on Friday, January 8, while the second is set to go at 7 p.m. (PT) on Saturday, January 9. Both games will take place at War Memorial Gym
 
Conor Morgan (Victoria, B.C.) was on point in the Golden State – literally. The 6-foot-9 third-year forward led the team in scoring in all three of the 'Birds' contests, notching 23 in a 93-71 win over the Antelope Valley (Calif.) Pioneers, 24 in a 81-70 loss to the Westmont (Calif.) Warriors, and finishing off the swing with a career-high 34 points against the Hope International (Calif.) Royals, leading the 'Birds to a 82-67 win.
 
When they are playing north of the border, fourth-year guard Jordan Jensen-Whyte (Calgary) leads UBC in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game over eight Canada West league contests, good for ninth in the conference in scoring.
 
The 'Birds will square off against a Lethbridge side that racked up a 5-1 Canada West record in the 2015 portion of the season, their only loss a 90-66 drubbing at the hands of the Regina Cougars back in November. Over the holiday break, Lethbridge took part in the Winnipeg Wesmen classic, where they won two of their three games. The team lost to the Manitoba Bisons 87-77 before rebounding to best the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology 90-51 and the MacEwan Griffins 74-71.
 
The 'Horns have been led offensively by a pair of fifth-year veterans in forward Brendon Brine and guard Rob Olsen. Brine, a 6-foot-6 Australian native, has posted averages of 16.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest, both team-highs. Olsen sits second in both categories, with 13.8 and 5.6, respectively.
 
UBC and Lethbridge aren't unfamiliar with each other, as the two squads faced one another twice last season. The 'Birds came out of the series with two convincing victories, winning 92-77 and 91-69.
 
UBC head coach Kevin Hanson is also on the verge of another milestone. Coming into this weekend's games, the UBC's veteran coach of 16 years has 241 Canada West conference victories to his name, just four behind former Saskatchewan and Victoria bench boss Guy Vetrie, who is second on the league's all-time wins list.
 
This two-game series marks the beginning of UBC's stretch run to March, as the 'Birds prepare to host the CIS Men's Basketball Final 8, which will see the absolute best basketball players in Canada make their way to the UBC campus.
 
Get your tournament packages, as the competition is set to take place from March 17-20 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.