The Matchup

The UBC Thunderbirds and the Thompson Rivers WolfPack will face off in the 2016-17 Canada West women's basketball regular season-opening series for both squads this weekend in Kamloops, B.C. UBC was selected fifth in 2016-17 Canada West women's basketball pre-season coaches poll, while TRU was 12th. Friday night's tilt is set for 6 p.m. on the Warner Rentals Court at the Tournament Capital Centre. Saturday's encounter has a 5 p.m. tip off.
 
The teams didn't play in the regular season last year, but did meet in a non-conference contest on Oct. 30, 2015 at UBC. The Thunderbirds earned the win in that game – 75-72 – by recording the last seven points in the fourth quarter.
 

Last Action

Both squads were at the Canada West Basketball Tournament hosted by Victoria last weekend. The Thunderbirds split their two games, beating Calgary 55-37 before falling 73-59 to Regina, which was then announced as the pre-season No. 1 in all of U Sports on Tuesday.
 
Thompson Rivers lost 68-41 to Alberta and 57-53 to defending national champions Saskatchewan, the ninth-ranked team in Canada to begin the season.
 

By the Numbers

62 – The Thunderbirds went 4-3 in non-conference action this fall against CIS competition. The team is 4-0 when it gives up 62 points or less, but 0-3 in games where the defence surrenders at least 63 points.
 
17 – the number of teams in the Canada West, which will have a one-division format this season after two years with the Pioneer and Explorer divisions. The top 12 teams based on winning percentage at the conclusion of league play advance to Canada West playoffs. The top 12 teams are then ranked 1 to 12 based on each team's RPI standing in order to account for the various strength of schedules faced by each team. Each team's RPI is based on the following formula: = 25 per cent team winning percentage (WP) adjusted for home and away wins (1.2 for an away win and 0.8 for a home win), 50 per cent opponents' average winning percentage (OWP), and 25 per cent opponents' opponent's average winning percentage (OOWP).  
 

Players to Watch

Kara Spotton (F, #8) – the forward, in her fifth and final year of eligibility of university basketball was UBC's leading scorer last year, with an average of 17 points per contest during Canada West play, and 13.8 points per game in the playoffs. Spotton also had a team-best field goal shooting percentage of 48.6 per cent over 20 regular season games.
 


Emma Piggin (G, #7) – the third-year guard from Kamloops was the lone conference all-star from Thompson Rivers last year, as she was named to the Canada West's Second All-Star Team.