The Matchup
With a playoff spot clinched, the 12-4 UBC Thunderbirds host the UNBC Timberwolves at the second annual Courtside event in their final home games of the regular season. The 6-10 Timberwolves are two points clear of the final playoff berth, and have just four games left to book a ticket to the postseason. UBC has won three straight and are fourth in the Canada West, with a young roster that has continued to progress all year.
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2017 is the first season with a combined U Sports Canada West conference, merging the former 'Explorer' and 'Pioneer' divisions, so it'll be the first head-to-head regular season matchup between the T-Birds and T-Wolves.
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Last Action
UNBC split a road series in Manitoba last weekend, winning game one 85-75 before falling just short of the sweep in a nail biting 67-64 loss at the hands of the Bisons. The Timberwolves are 5-5 in their last 10 games and are gunning for their first ever Canada West playoff appearance.
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The 'Birds are coming off an up-and-down series with the Brandon Bobcats that began with a dominant 80-53 victory last Friday, but finished with a hard-earned 'W' in game two. Brandon came out firing with an aggressive full-court press on Saturday evening and lead after three quarters. In the fourth, the Thunderbirds refocused and outscored the Bobcats 18-8 en route to a 73-66 win - giving Head Coach
Deb Huband her 300th career regular season victory.
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By the Numbers
19.3 – Maddison Penn's Canada West leading points per game, tops on the T-Birds and fifth in the nation.
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34.4 – the Thunderbird's shooting percentage from beyond the arc so far this season, third best in U Sports.
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Players To Watch
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Shilpa Khanna – (#2, Guard) – a fourth-year sharpshooter, Khanna has the highest three-point percentage on the 'Birds (39.6%) and is the third highest scorer behind Penn and
Kara Spotton.
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Krysten Lindquist – (#7, Guard) – the second-year Kinesiology student is often called upon in crunch time, and she comes through with tenacity. In the fourth quarter of a tight test with Brandon last Saturday, Lindquist snagged two crucial steals that she quickly potted for a big four points and finished with four steals with five rebounds in the win.
Coach's Take
"We're looking forward to our games this weekend with Courtside on Friday night and Senior Night on Saturday," said UBC Head Coach
Deb Huband. "We continue to work on improving our team play day-to-day and week-to-week with the goal of peaking in time for a strong playoff run. We have a young team that has shown tremendous growth over the course of the season. We continue to strive to be more consistent with some of the keys to the game including offensive execution and decision-making, defensive intensity and commitment to the physicality of rebounding."
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