VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds (12-4) are firing on all cylinders down the stretch of the regular season, as they take a four-game win streak on the road to Edmonton to face the MacEwan Griffins (2-12) on Friday, January 24, at 5:00 p.m. PT and Saturday, January 25, at 4:00 p.m. PT.

UBC has won ten of their last 11 games and are fourth in the Canada West standings with just four games remaining in the regular season. While the 'Birds have already clinched a playoff spot, they're striving to keep hold of a first round playoff bye as one of the top four teams in the conference based on RPI. The Griffins are six points back of the last playoff spot and are on a tough eight-game slide. 

These two teams have only met twice in Canada West action, and the T-Birds swept the Griffins in a two-game series at War Memorial Gym back in January of 2018. 

Fourth-year forward Keylyn Filewich continues to be one of the top players in the Canada West - shooting a conference-high 59.9 percent from the field, while averaging the second most rebounds per game (10.3) and third most points per game (13.1). Fellow fourth-year Gabrielle Laguerta is also putting up numbers for the 'Birds after back-to-back 10-point performances. The sharp-shooting guard now averages 40 percent from beyond the arc (fifth in the Canada West) and has made a team-high 26 threes so far this season. Starting point guard, and graduating senior, Jessica Hanson has the second most assists in the conference (67) while also grabbing an impressive 71 defensive rebounds (8th in the Canada West) and consistently proving herself to be a lockdown defender and clutch scorer for UBC. 

Last Action

The T-Birds earned a sweep of their rival University of Victoria Vikes (7-7) in a Legends Cup home-and-home series last weekend. UBC took game one 100-75 on home court before travelling to the provincial capital for a 74-66 road victory. UBC shot 52 percent from the field in game one and 46 percent from the field in game two - lifting them to a Canada West-leading 44.1 field goal percentage to date.

MacEwan lost both matchups with the Alberta Pandas (12-2) in a home-and-home of their own last weekend - falling 74-55 at home before losing 85-46 on the road to extend their winless streak to eight straight games.