VANCOUVER – It's playoff time.
 
After a successful regular season that saw UBC claim the top spot in the Pacific Division (and with it, homecourt advantage throughout the Canada West playoffs), the 16-4 Thunderbirds now turn their attention to the Canada West Quarterfinal round on Sunday afternoon.
 
Back on November 28, the T-Birds fell on the road to UBC Okanagan, their third straight loss which dropped them to a 5-4 record in conference play. Since then, they've won 11 games in a row, including all 10 since the winter break, to head into the postseason on a high.
 
"I think since Christmas we've been playing well," said UBC head coach Dave Taylor, preparing for his first postseason appearance as a Thunderbird. "Some of our focuses coming out of Christmas we've been doing a good job, and I liked how we played on the weekend out in Victoria, so I'm happy with how we're going into the playoffs."


 
While still a team that scores predominantly on the inside, the T-Birds' regular season finale did see them hitting a season-high eight three-pointers, as they beat the Vikes 79-51 on the road. As a whole, the Thunderbirds finished the second half of the regular season averaging 74.6 points in those 10 games, a marked improvement from the first semester when they averaged 63.7 points per game.
 
"Our spacing is better, our efficiency is better," added Taylor when asked about the increased offensive production. "We're understanding what type of shots we want, and we're creating some easier shots with turnovers.
 
"Most weekends I come out of it thinking there's just one or two shots that were maybe a little forced, whereas before Christmas there were stretches where it looked like we were having to create shots against three people. It's about understanding what we want to do and doing well with it."
 
The T-Birds will be counting on continued big production from star forward Olivia Weekes, who finished the regular season second in Canada West in scoring (16.8 points per game) and third in rebounding (9.1 rebounds per game), coming within a couple percentage points of leading the conference in both categories.


 
Defensively, the T-Birds allow the second-fewest points per game in the conference (52.4), only behind undefeated Saskatchewan. Cerys Merton's average of 3.3 steals per game (the best single-season mark in program history) makes her a menace on the perimeter, while the T-Birds' imposing frontcourt has enabled them to allow the fewest offensive rebounds in the conference (9.3 per game) while grabbing the second-most themselves (18.0 per game).
 
The only team that's snared more offensive boards just so happens to be their potential quarterfinal opponent – the Alberta Pandas. Despite sporting a 15-5 record and owning the No. 6 spot in the U SPORTS rankings (two places ahead of UBC), the Pandas finished with the fourth-best record in a powerhouse Prairie Division and are forced to play in the play-in round.
 
With a high-scoring offence led by Jayden Tanner and boasting the best three-point attack in the conference in terms of both volume and percentage, the Pandas will be looking for some measure of revenge after the T-Birds beat them in last year's Canada West Semifinals.
 
But before there's any chance of a rematch, the Pandas must first defeat Victoria (9-11) in Saturday's play-in matchup, with the Vikes angling for an upset and for what would be their fourth meeting of the season with the T-Birds if they played again in the quarterfinals.  
 
"Both of them present some problems with length, and they're similar in the sense that they have some inside presence but they also shoot the three really well," mused Taylor on his group's two potential opponents. "Alberta has always been known for their transition – a lot of it starts off their defence. Knowing that, you have to really protect the ball…they find the shots that they want, and if you don't disrupt those shots they're going to score."
 
The T-Birds' battle with either the Pandas or Vikes will begin at 2:00 p.m. (PT) on Sunday inside War Memorial Gym. CLICK HERE for tickets as the Thunderbirds aim to make a run at a repeat trip to the Canada West Final!