The Matchup
It will be a chance to renew acquaintances this weekend in Winnipeg as the No. 5 UBC Thunderbirds (6-2) visit the Wesmen (2-6) for back-to-back games Friday and Saturday November 24 and 25.
Friday marks the first meeting between the two teams since the Thunderbirds swept the Wesmen in late February of 2016 at the War Memorial Gym in Vancouver.
The action gets going with tip off on Friday night at 6 p.m. PT at the Duckworth centre. The rematch goes Saturday at 5 p.m. PT.
Last Action
The T-Birds won both of their games against the Trinity Western Spartans last weekend, each by different margins. On Friday the 'Birds enjoyed a 53-point margin of victory while Saturday night saw a closer score line with an eight-point difference.
The Wesmen split their weekend series in Abbotsford, defeating the Fraser Valley Cascades 90-88 on Friday but dropping the Saturday night rematch 67-59.
By the Numbers
96.5 – The number of average points scored per game by the T-Birds, which ranks first overall in the conference.
51.2 – UBC's top-ranked shooting percentage in the Canada West which has seen them drain 285 of their 557 attempted shots from the field.
Players to Watch
Conor Morgan (#9, F) – The fifth-year forward had a standout weekend combining for 47 points and 21 rebounds in back to back wins over the Spartans. The Victoria product leads the team in scoring averaging 22.7 points per game.
Phil Jalalpoor (#7, G) – the fifth-year guard enjoyed an efficient Friday night on the floor, converting on eight of his nine field goal attempts while connecting on his one three-point attempt helping him total 19 points the 'Birds 118-65 win over the Spartans.
Coach's Take
Even though the Thunderbirds earned two victories last weekend, head coach
Kevin Hanson would like his team to expand on the execution they displayed during Friday night's convincing victory over the Spartans rather than Saturday's closer affair.
"Friday night everything went really well on both sides of the ball, things were clicking we were getting stops we were getting transition everyone gets into the game and feels good about life," said Hanson. "However, sometimes success breeds complacency and that's one of the worries especially when you've got a fair amount of young players but the scary part is when the seniors become a little complacent which I think was a bit of the case on Saturday night."
Hanson continued, "that said, give Trinity credit they came out and busted us for 33 points in the first quarter, they hit some deep shots and played very well and it went down to the end of the game. As a coach when you win by 53 one night you're always worried about the next night and it's tough playing the same team back-to-back, they responded very well and it was good for us to be in a tight game down the stretch where he had to make plays."
The Wesmen sit at 2-6 on the young season but Hanson isn't reading anything into the hosts start.
"Their record isn't indicative of how talented they are, they've played probably the toughest schedule so far meeting Alberta and Calgary, having had to play them early will prepare them better down the stretch. The Wesmen are always tough especially at home in their own gym, they've got some talented veteran guys and are capable of being a scary team."
Hanson went on to say, "we're focusing on ourselves trying to get better but for half our team it's the first time they're ever going on this road trip so you're dealing with a two hour time change, you're dealing with a new facility you haven't played in before. As a coach I'm excited about playing in these games, I like going back there we've got a couple of alumni in the city so it's a great chance to see them but we also know we're going to be involved in two tough games."
