After hitting the national top 10 rankings for the first time in school and program history, the UNBC women's basketball team will look to continue their unbeaten season while the men's team will look keep their two-game winning streak alive this weekend in Abbotsford.
The lady Timberwolves sit atop the Canada West standings undefeated (6-0), winning series against Mount Royal, Winnipeg and Trinity Western.
The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades, on the other hand, sit 11th in the Canada West standings with a 3-5 record. They have two wins against Thompson Rivers University and one against MacEwan.
The Cascades team is averaging 55.6 points per game while shooting 34.3 from the field and grabbing 36 rebounds per game; they're allowing an average of 66 points. Their home record is 2-2 so far this season with a .375 win percentage overall.
The Timberwolves are a scary team to face on any given night, sitting first in the Canada West standings while scoring an average of 87.7 points per game, shooting 49.9 per cent from the field and averaging 45.7 rebounds per game. They aren't as focused on their record as they are on the task at hand.
"Of course it’s exciting, but we shouldn’t care too much about that. We want to keep working," first-year UNBC guard Lucy Guan says in a press release. "There are a bunch of adjustments to our offence; we need to continue working on our defence and our team chemistry.”
The 6-0 @UNBCWomensBball team takes on the @UFVCascades this weekend, in a pair of important @CanadaWest battles! Hear from guard Lucy Guan, and check out a full preview here: https://t.co/Poou63T3tr pic.twitter.com/qUKVEGVpVc
— UNBC Athletics (@UNBCATHLETICS) November 22, 2018
The UNBC men haven't had a bad start to the season. The Timberwolves currently sit third in Canada West with a 5-1 record and are riding a two-game winning streak.
They're averaging 89.3 points per game with a field goal percentage of 45.5 and are grabbing 40 rebounds per game. They're undefeated on the road (2-0). The only loss for the men came at the hands of Winnipeg.
Like the ladies, the men UFV Cascades also sit 11th in Canada West with a 4-4 record. The Cascades squad is averaging 76.3 points per game while shooting poorly from the field at 39.1 per cent.
Their record at the Envision Financial Athletic Centre is .500 at 2-2 but come into the weekend with a three-game winning streak.
While UNBC has had an impressive start to the 2018-19 campaign, they say the best is yet to come.
“I think we have another gear. There hasn’t yet been a game where we are all clicking at the same time," third-year UNBC guard Tyrell Laing says in the release. "We have a lot of potential for that to happen soon because it hasn’t happened yet, and I am looking forward to that.”
The 5-1 @UNBCBasketball team heads to Abbotsford for a weekend doubleheader with a dangerous @UFVCascades team that sits 4-4. Hear from guard @TyrellLaing, and read a full statistical preview here: https://t.co/zKXsNubAX8 pic.twitter.com/kq5lTd4ZeR
— UNBC Athletics (@UNBCATHLETICS) November 22, 2018
The women tip off on Friday (Nov. 23) at 6 p.m. and Saturday (Nov. 24) at 5 p.m. while the men play at 8 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 23) and 7 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 24).
UNBC players to watch
Guard - Abby Gibb
- 7.8 points per game
- 2.8 rebounds per game
- 3.5 assists per game
- 1.1 steals per game
Guard - Vova Pluzhnikov
- 12.7 points per game
- 4.8 rebounds per game
- 3.2 assists per game
- 1.7 steals per game
UFV
Forward - Taylor Claggett
- 17.5 points per game
- 8.3 rebounds per game
- 2.8 assists per game
- 1.5 steals per game
Forward - Mark Johnson
- 13.5 points per game
- 8.3 rebounds per game
- 1.8 assists per game
- 1.2 steals per game
