VANCOUVER – The surging UBC Thunderbirds (9-5) head into this weekend boasting the third best current winning streak (five games) in Canada West. Starting Friday at 7:00 pm, Kevin Hanson's squad continues their seven-game homestand with a weekend double-header against the visiting UBC Okanagan Heat (5-11).
 
Last weekend the 'Birds started their seven-game homestand with a pair of convincing victories over the Regina Cougars. Brian Wallack's 18 points paced the UBC attack on Friday and Triston Matthews' 22 points led the charge on Saturday during a weekend where UBC outscored Regina 173-133.


 
"We're taking away a lot of positives from the weekend. It was nice to get into our home routine," said head coach Kevin Hanson. "The guys fed off the intensity and energy from the hometown crowd on Friday and it set the tone for our weekend. It was nice to see that a lot of what we've been focusing on in practice translated well into games."
 
During UBC's five-game winning streak, fifth-year guard Triston Matthews has averaged 21.4 points-per-game. Heading into this weekend, Matthews sits second in Canada West with a .441 three-point shooting percentage and second with an average of 3.8 three-point field goal conversions per game.
 
"Triston is playing some of the best basketball since he's been at UBC," claimed Kevin Hanson. "He's always had confidence and he's scoring in a lot of different ways. He's doing all of this while playing some tough defensive assignments on the other side of the floor. Right now when teams leave him open, he's making them pay."
 
Defensively, the blue and gold held Regina to just 65 points on Saturday, a season best for UBC who is starting to round into form defensively after an up-and-down start. "Before Christmas we weren't at our best," observed Hanson. "Then our two games in California during the holiday were a big wakeup call for us. But we came home, got refocused and re-established our defensive goals and we've seen a steady increase in confidence, and we're playing better basketball because of it."
 
UBC Okanagan have dropped six of their last eight games dating back to the start of 2023 and are currently ranked 14^th in the 17-team conference. With six games remaining in their regular season, they'll need victories in order to claw back into the top 12 playoff conversation.


 
"It's important for us to not let complacency set in," concluded Hanson. "We are going to approach this weekend with a playoff mindset knowing that each game individually is important for both teams. Last weekend they [UBCO] dropped two very close games with Trinity Western University that could have gone either way. They're going to be a handful for us and a big key for this weekend will be avoiding turnovers and winning the rebounding battle.
 
The home double-header weekend begins Friday at 7:00 pm PT. The two teams will then meet again Saturday at 6:00 pm. Tickets for both games can be purchased HERE. You can also watch live on Canada West TV.