Canada West Women's Basketball Weekend Preview - December 1-2, 2017
Friday Dec. 1- Saturday Dec. 2
UFV (4-6) @ Lethbridge (8-2)
The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades face another tough test this weekend when they travel east to battle the Lethbridge Pronghorns. UFV is coming off a pair of victories over UBCO, in which the defence was the big story. They held the Heat to just 21.8 percent shooting from the field, and single digit point totals in each of the first 3 quarters in Saturday’s 65-37 victory. BUt they will have to deal with a much more powerful offence when they travel to Lethbridge. The Pronghorns are third in scoring in the Canada West, averaging 74.3 points per game.
Victoria (4-4) @ Alberta (5-3)
It should be a competitive weekend of action in the Alberta capital, when the Vikes and visit the Pandas. Both teams are jockeying for position in the middle of the Canada West standings. It’s been a tale of two seasons for Victoria who opened the campaign 4-0, but have suffered four straight losses since then. The Vikes are led by 4th year guard Kristy Gallagher who is sixth in the Canada West in scoring at 17.6 points per game. The Pandas are led by forward Elle Hendershot, who is averaging a double double on the season, 11.3 points per game, and a Canwest best 11.6 rebounds per contest.
Regina (7-1) @ UBC (4-6)
The Thunderbirds face a tough challenge when they host the number 3 ranked Regina Cougar to War Memorial Gym this weekend. The UBC women has had an up and down season so far, and will look to regain their winning form after dropping a pair of games last weekend in Manitoba. 3rd year guard Madison Penn has been the catalyst for UBC’s offence this year, averaging 19.9 points per game.
Brandon (2-6) @ Trinity Western (6-2)
The TWU Spartans have to be feeling confident as they prepare to host the Bobcats for a pair of weekend games at David E. Enarson Gym. Last Saturday Trinity knocked off UBC for the first time in nine years, a thrilling 75-71 overtime victory. Tessa Ratzlaff had 22 points and 15 rebounds in the win, and she continues to rank in the top 10 in the Canwest in both of those categories. The Spartans have now won 5 of their past 6 games. The Bobcats are led by guard Keisha COx, who is third in Canada west in scoring, averaging over 18 points per contest.
UNBC (3-7) @ Thompson Rivers (6-4)
The Wolfpack welcome the Timberwolves to town for their final regular season home games of 2017. TRU is coming off a sweep of the Mount Royal Cougars last weekend. One bright spot for UNBC this season has been the play of import Maria Mongomo. The Spanish born guard is averaging has overcome some early injuries, and leads the team in scoring average (16.5 points) and rebounds ( 7).
Manitoba (6-4) @ UBCO (0-8)
The UBCO Heat are still searching for their first win of the season, as they prepare to welcome the Manitoba Bisons to their Kelowna campus. If the Heat are going to find their way into the win column, they will need to find a way to improve their shooting from long distance. UCBO was just 3-24 form behind the arc in last Saturday’s 65-37 loss to UFV. Meantime the Bisons come to town having have won four of their last five games, following an impressive 90-74 win over Brandon last Saturday. Second year guard Taylor Randal continues to impress for Manitoba, pouring in 25 points and 6 assists in the win over the Bobcats.