VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (13-2) look to rebound at War Memorial Gym against the Fraser Valley Cascades (9-5) on Friday, February 11^th at 8 p.m. (PT). There will be just one men's basketball game this weekend as the previously scheduled Saturday night home contest against TRU has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 23rd at 6pm. These last few weeks of the regular season will provide time to sharpen play in preparation for the Canada West Playoff Tournament starting in early March. 

This 'Birds travelled down to Vancouver Island this past weekend for a pair of games against the Victoria Vikes, who brought their own six-game winning streak into the matchup.
 
The Vikes began Friday night with a spirited opening quarter, going up 30-12. A poor shooting performance did not stop the 'Birds from relentlessly chipping away at the home lead, heading into the half down 40-31.



Any momentum the visiting squad was able to muster was consistently halted by a run from the Vikes. A strong fourth quarter push brought UBC within one score off a Brian Wallack layup with 30 seconds to go. That would be the closest the game would get as free throws sealed the 90-84 victory for UVic. James Woods led the way with 24 points and six rebounds, while four of his teammates scored in double-figures in what was the teams first conference loss of the season.
 
Saturday's game began eerily similar for the visiting team, who found themselves trailing 28-15 after one. The Vikes continued to extend their lead into half time up 54-32. Seven 'Birds scored in a competitive third quarter which set the stage for an impressive comeback that fell just short. A dominant 35-19 fourth quarter was sparked by Woods, who dropped 18 of his game-high 34 points in the final frame to bring the 'Birds within six. The deficit proved to be too much in the little time remaining as the Vikes took the second matchup 96-89.



The T-Birds return home to familiar rims against a UFV team that split their most recent weekend in Kelowna against the UBCO Heat. Zubair Seyed poured in 25 points off the bench in Friday night's 79-91 loss. The Casacades re-grouped with a bounce-back 97-79 win on Saturday, fueled by Jordyn Sekhon's 30 points.

Friday will be the Cascades third visit to War Memorial Gym this season, as UBC took both games in early November 70-64 and 80-72. 
 
UFV will look to get up and down the court this weekend as they lead Canada West in three categories that speak directly to their fast style of play. The Cascades hold their opponents to 37.5% from the field, pull down 32.8 defensive rebounds a game, and get up 71.8 field goal attempts per game.



The T-Birds welcome this style of basketball onto their Point Grey Campus, where they have posted an undefeated 8-0 record at War Memorial Gym. The bulk of the 'Birds scoring attack relies on the trio of Woods (18.5), Grant Audu (17.2), and Sukhman Sandhu (16.8). Friday night provides UBC an opportunity to show the rest of Canada West that this past weekend in Victoria was nothing more than a offensive anomaly. 
 
Tickets to all Thunderbirds games are free this year, but you must register in advance here.
 
Friday's game will also be streamed live on Canada West TV presented by Co-op.