VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (4-2) are once again hitting the road for the third time in the opening four weeks of the Canada West regular season, this time traveling to Kelowna for a pair of meetings against the UBC Okanagan Heat. It all begins Friday, November 22 with an 8:00 p.m. PT tip off followed by a return meeting Saturday evening beginning at 6:00 p.m. PT.
 
The T-Birds and Heat last met a little over 10 months ago in early January of this year and it was the T-Birds coming away with convincing consecutive home court wins of 100-29 and 103-69 at War Memorial Gym.
 

Last Action

 
The 'Birds are coming off a pair of weekend victories in Prince George against the UNBC Timberwolves which started with a 96-78 decision on Friday night. The visitors enjoyed a balanced attack with five players reaching double digits, led by the tandem of Jadon Cohee and Grant Audu who each poured in a game high 20 points. Cohee shot 50 percent from beyond the arc in hitting six of his 12 three-point attempts, meanwhile Manroop Clair added 15 points in the victory.


 
On Saturday, it was UBC earning an 88-66 win in an outing that saw two T-Birds record double doubles with Grant Shephard setting the pace with 21 points and 13 rebounds while Jadon Cohee added 11 points and 10 assists. Manroop Clair was also effective for a second straight night in delivering 17 points.


 
The Heat return home after two weekend road losses against the Fraser Valley Cascades, last Friday was an 89-76 setback that saw guard Thomas Spencer deliver a team high 16 points. Saturday brought about an 87-60 loss where guard Hafith Moallin recorded a double double with 20 points and 13 rebounds.
 

Coach's Take

 
UBC head coach Kevin Hanson was pleased with his team's all-around results last weekend against UNBC.
 
"I think our effort was really good on both ends of the court," said Hanson. "Offensively we shared the ball well as I think we had over 30 assists in each outing and defensively I thought we worked hard rebounding. I'm probably most happy with the game plan we put in and the way the guys executed, we also saw some spread out scoring in the first game five guys hitting double digits. UNBC played a lot of zone which is something we haven't seen a lot of this year as not many teams are playing as much zone as they did but our guys handled it well and I think any team plays well when they're sharing the ball. Us in particular when things are rolling offensively we play better defensively, we're trying to change that mindset but that ends up to be a reality for this team."
 
Hanson then previewed what he expects to see from the Heat this weekend.

"The Heat have a first-year coach there (Clay Pottinger) and I think he's doing a great job with the team so far, they're playing a fast-paced style of game where they're really looking to attack. They're also aggressive defensively and have had some close games so I'm expecting it to be an emotional series with Kelowna native Grant Shephard coming home, he'll be excited to play there and obviously the connection between the two schools obviously there always an underlining rivalry within the two programs. We're looking forward to continue things rolling in a positive direction and I think the guys are excited about getting back on the court."