VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds (14-4) are looking to close out their regular season with a bang at home against the Winnipeg Wesmen (12-6) during the fourth annual Courtside festival on Friday, February 7, at 6:00 p.m. PT and Senior Night on Saturday, February 8, at 5:00 p.m. PT.
Heading into the weekend on a six-game win streak, the T-Birds are fourth in the Canada West and would enjoy a first round bye once the playoffs get underway. The 'Birds are also tied in points with the UFV Cascades (14-4) and will be seeded for the playoffs based on their ratings performance index (RPI). The Wesmen are within striking distance of that number four seed and are on a four-game winning streak - so the showdown at War Memorial Gym will be one to watch.
The 'Birds lead the conference with 44.6 field goal percentage and average 18.8 assists per game while having the second most points per game (75.3) and have won twelve of their last thirteen games.
Graduating senior guard Jessica Hanson has been a huge part of UBC's success on both ends of the floor this season - scoring 15.6 points per game (on 46.3 percent shooting from the field) with a team-high 5.2 assists per game and an impressive 5.3 rebounds per game. Fellow fifth-year Maddison Penn returned from injury earlier this season to be an offensive threat off the bench, while UBC's third graduating senior Krysten Lindquist has continued to be a reliable option off the bench in her final season as well.
Last Action
UBC swept their matchup with the MacEwan Griffins (2-16) in Edmonton two weekends ago, winning 83-69 and 75-58 on the road to put themselves in a good position come playoff time. Keylyn Filewich had back-to-back double-doubles with 19 points and 10 rebounds in game one, followed by 21 points and 10 rebounds in game two as she continues to lead the Canada West with a 60.0 field goal percentage. Hanson had a monster 27-point performance on Saturday (just one point shy of her career record) in 28 minutes of action - adding six rebounds with three assists and two steals in the victory.
The Wesmen won two straight against the Mount Royal Cougars (5-13) last weekend as Anna Kernaghan scored 35 points over the two games and Jill Duncan notched a double-double (13 points, 14 rebounds) on night one.
Coach's Take
"We've been playing better and better over the past few months and want to keep that trending in the right direction," said UBC head coach Deb Huband. "We expect to be challenged by Winnipeg's unique style of play, and this weekend will be a great opportunity to play in a play-off type environment with tremendous excitement in the gym at Courtside on Friday and Senior Night on Saturday. We enjoy playing at home in front of our community, family and friends and this weekend, with the final league play and events, will add extra excitement and energy."
