After Jen Bruce missed a month of basketball with a concussion, her headaches have stopped and she can finally resume sinking shots for the UNBC Timberwolves.
Sidelined for eight games in her last season of eligibility, the fifth-year forward from Langley plans to be back on her home court at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre tonight and Saturday, when the T-wolves take on the Pacific Division-leading Fraser Valley University Cascades in Canada West action.
The injury happened in practice on Jan. 3 when Bruce and teammate Chantel Nicholson collided.
"I didn't go to class for a week, I couldn't watch TV, it was the most boring week of my life, I just laid in my room with the lights off and I wasn't tired because I was sleeping so much," said Bruce, a 22-year-old business student. "It was annoying because I'd be feeling good and then I'd go and ride the bike and be feeling good, but four or five hours later I'd get a headache. It's just scary because it's your brain. I had symptoms for two weeks."
Bruce has been playing with the back pain of two herniated discs and she thought she might be able to play last weekend in Saskatoon and Edmonton, but decided to give her head a few more days to recover. She resumed practicing on Tuesday.
To say the T-wolves have missed Bruce would be an understatement. At the time of her injury she was second in team scoring, averaging 12.9 points per game and 31.3 minutes of playing time. Only fifth-year guard Mercedes Van Koughnett, who leads UNBC in average rebounds (8.5), assists (5.9) and steals (3.3), has a better scoring average (16.6 points per game) on the team.
Fraser Valley will provide a tough test for the T-wolves. The Cascades are currently tied for first place in the Pacific Division with UBC and Victoria, each with 13-5 records. The T-wolves (4-14) lost by only four points to Saskatchewan last week and having Bruce back should provide a spark against Fraser Valley.
"Hopefully we can get a couple of wins and if not, splitting with them would be awesome," said Bruce.
The two-game series against Fraser Valley will be the last at home for six graduating T-wolves veterans, including Bruce, Van Koughnett, and forwards Emily Kaehn and Chelsey Thorne. These are also the last home games for men's team forwards Charles Barton and Dan Stark.
The Cascades (13-5) are heavily favoured in the men's game against UNBC (4-14) tonight at 8. Fraser Valley can strengthen its grip on second place in the Pacific with a pair of wins over the T-Wolves, who have lost seven in a row.
Heading into tonight's game, three T-wolves are averaging double figures in the points department, including Barton (14.9), Franck Olivier Kouagnia (12.6) and Jeff Chu (10.6), with Jibreel Stevens close behind, averaging 9.6 points per game.
