Vancouver – Conference bragging rights are on the line this weekend when the UBC Thunderbirds visit the Alberta Golden Bears for a one-game Canada West final meeting this Saturday, February 29 with a 7:00 p.m. PT tip off at the Saville Community Centre in Edmonton, ALTA.
 
After a 16-4 record through the regular season the Canada West's number three seed T-Birds continue their march through the playoffs following their quarter-final and semifinal victories last weekend in Calgary. Meanwhile the Golden Bears who hold down the conference number one seed thanks to a 19-1 regular season campaign have continued their fine form in also winning a pair of post season games last weekend. Both UBC and Alberta advancing to Saturday's Canada West final while also earning a berth in the U SPORTS Men's Basketball Final 8 to be held next week in Ottawa, ONT. The T-Birds will enter the national tournament ranked sixth in the country while Alberta heads east as the nation's third seed.
 
These teams last met 12 months ago in Edmonton and it was the 'Birds who were the road warriors in taking the best-of-three Canada West semifinal playoff series two games to one. UBC won the opener 74-62 before the Golden Bears evened the series 1-1 with 92-86 response victory. UBC closed out the series 2-1 thanks to an 84-78 win in deciding game three.


 

Last Action

 
The 'Birds extended their winning streak to seven straight games entering post season action last weekend in Calgary, opening with an 88-77 quarter-final win against the Saskatchewan Huskies last Friday. UBC spread the offence around well with five players reaching double digit scoring including Manroop Claire leading the way with 19 points while Grant Audu added 17 and Jadon Cohee chipped in with 16 points. Meanwhile, two players registered doube-doubles as Grant Shephard counted 13 points and a game high 16 rebounds while Zack Moore matched the 13-point output and added 11 rebounds.
 
The Friday night win set up a Saturday night semi-final showdown against the defending Canada West champion Calgary Dinos and this time it was UBC getting by the hosts 81-72. The T-Birds stepped up to outscore the Dinos 25-12 in the fourth quarter to secure advancement to the CW final, leading the way was Manroop Clair with 26 points, 15 of which came from beyond the arc. Regular season leading scorer and Canada West first team all-star Jadon Cohee added 23 points and Grant Audu delivered a tidy 10 points.


 
The Golden Bears extended their unbeaten streak to an impressive 16 straight contests thanks to a weekend sweep, beginning with a 92-81 quarter-final victory against the Lethbridge Pronghorns. Adam Paige led the way with 17 points followed by Brody Clarke's 14-point effort while Tyus Jefferson added 12 points.
 
Alberta would then punch their ticket to U SPORTS nationals for a fourth straight year the following night thanks to a 91-85 overtime win vs. the Manitoba Bisons.
Brody Clarke led the way with 24 points and eight rebounds while fellow forward Adam Paige added 13 points and eight rebounds.
 
Saturday should be exciting as the meeting will feature the conference's top two scoring teams as UBC led the Canada West in averaging 93.5 points per game while Alberta was narrowly behind in averaging 92.2 points per game while also boasting the top three-point shooting team in the league in hitting over 41 percent of their shots from beyond the arc. The T-Birds will be in search of their first Canada West title since the 2012-13 season, meanwhile the Golden Bears will be looking to capture their fourth title in the last nine seasons.


 

Coach's Take

 
"It was a pretty special weekend for us on the road," said UBC head coach Kevin Hanson regarding what's pleasing him most about his squad's recent play. "We've had some challenging moments earlier on in the season and so to have our team come together for those wins at this time of year showed a great confidence which is vital for success. I think defensively we've certainly have improved and the guys are buying in, I think the energy is there and the weaknesses that we've been trying to focus on, we saw some growth. From the on court side of things it was special to see us advancing as a team that way but also off the court as a team it was an emotional win and I think some of the guys have put pressure on themselves to be successful this year and for us to get past Calgary was satisfying especially because they've had our number the last few years. It was something the program needed and good for our guys belief in themselves."
 
Hanson also looked ahead to what he expects from the Golden Bears this weekend.
 
"We saw them last year in the semi-final at their place and it's a good rivalry. They've had an incredible season, they've been missing Brody Clarke for the majority of their season which I think helped their team as a unit. They had a chance to give more guys playing time, some confidence and I think the success they had surprised a lot of people and may have surprised them as well without having an All-Canadian for that amount of time forced others to step up and gain a ton of confidence, they'll be fighting for the conference championship as hard as we are in front of their home crowd."