For the first time in their seven-year Canada West history, the UNBC Timberwolves are nationally-ranked in women's basketball.
U Sports - of which Canada West is a part - released its latest rankings on Tuesday and the Timberwolves were No. 10 in the country. So far this season they are a perfect 6-0, their latest victories coming at the Northern Sport Centre on the weekend against the Trinity Western University Spartans (78-77 on Friday and 83-54 on Saturday). The losses were the Spartans' first of the season.
Three other Canada West teams are directly ahead of the Timberwolves on the national list. Saskatchewan (6-2) is seventh, Calgary (5-3) is eighth and Regina (6-2) is ninth.
Team success goes hand-in-hand with individual success, and UNBC guard/forward Maria Mongomo is an example. Mongomo, a fourth-year player from Las Palmas, Spain, was named Tuesday as Canada West first star of the week. In the wins against Trinity Western, Mongomo hit for a total of 46 points (17 on Friday, season-high 29 on Saturday), added 20 rebounds (nine the first night, 11 the next), seven assists (three on Friday, four on Saturday) and six steals (one on Friday, five on Saturday).
Mongomo now leads Canada West in points per game (average of 23.3) and is top-five in rebounds (fifth at 9.8), steals (fourth at 2.7) and field goal percentage (fifth at 53.5). She also scored her 1,000th career Canada West point over the weekend.
