The Matchup
The comfort of home court is a warm welcome for the UBC Thunderbirds (3-3) who host the Trinity Western Spartans (5-1) Friday and Saturday, November 17 and 18 at War Memorial Gym.
The 'Birds are fresh off a four-game road swing with stops in Calgary and Prince George and are back on home court for the first time since a win over Fraser Valley on October 28.
UBC last faced the Spartans at the end of last season in Langley with the 'Birds taking a couple of convincing wins over TWU. The last time the two met in Vancouver was almost exactly two years ago when the T-Birds swept a weekend series over the Spartans.
Tip-off Friday night is 6:00 p.m. PT with Saturday's rematch scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PT. Both nights the 'Birds are taking donations for the U SPORTS Shoot for the Cure initiative in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society.
To donate online or for more information, visit
http://www.cancer.ca/shootforthecure
Last Action
The 'Birds dropped both halves of a weekend double header against the UNBC Timberwolves in Prince George.
The Spartans swept the visiting Victoria Vikes to extend their current win streak to five games.
By the Numbers
30.5 – The average number of defensive rebounds by the Thunderbirds, the highest total in the Canada West.
55.5 – The 'Birds have been defensively sound at home allowing just 55.5 points on average over their last four home games dating back to the end of last season.
Players to Watch
Jessica Hanson (#11, G) – The third-year guard led the 'Birds last weekend with 33 points. Averaging 11.8 points per game, Hanson is UBC's third highest scorer and logs the fourth highest average minutes in the conference.
Gabrielle Laguerta (#10, G) – The T-Birds have been getting good value from Laguerta off the bench as the second-year guard posted a career high 12 points last Saturday against the Timberwolves in a season high 27 minutes of action.
Coach's Take
After the 'Birds' longest road tour of the season, UBC head coach
Deb Huband is looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd for the first time in what seems like a long time against a Spartans team that's had a very strong start to the season.
"They're a dynamic team, they're a team that's come of age together with a lot of veterans that have played three four or five years together and there's a lot of benefit with that kind of experience," said Huband. "Defensively we need to disrupt that and make sure that they're not getting their primary looks. The battle of the boards is going to be big, they're one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the conference, and they like to play with a lot of tempo."
While the Spartans have the benefit of an older, experienced squad, the T-Birds feature the youngest team in the Canada West and one that continues to learn and grow as the season progresses.
"With each weekend we have opportunities to learn about styles of play, the value of scouting reports and implementing the scouting report," added Huband. "There's a lot coming at this young team week to week."
