The UNBC Northern Timberwolves have a little payback on their minds.
When the UNBC men's basketball team last clashed with the Capilano University Blues, Nov. 26 in North Vancouver, the Blues romped to an 80-55 victory. The Timberwolves will get another shot at the Blues Friday night at the Northern Sport Centre and will look to extend a winning streak in the PACWEST Athletic Association to six games. The UNBC men haven't lost in league play since Dec. 2 when they dropped an 84-77 decision to the Vancouver Island University Mariners.
Since the Christmas break, the T-wolves have focused on getting the ball up and down the floor much more quickly and that has resulted in the success they are currently enjoying.
"We're playing at a little bit of a higher tempo, which has made a big difference for us," said UNBC head coach Todd Jordan. "We're getting a lot more easy buckets in transition and we've just had some guys that are starting to have it click for them."
Three of those players are guard Jose Araujo, post player Kevan Madsen and guard/forward Charles Barton, all of whom, for various reasons, didn't play last season. Araujo has knocked off the rust and is now showing the brilliant outside shooting form that helped the Timberwolves win a national championship in 2010. The six-foot-nine Madsen, meanwhile, is once again proving he can be a dominant presence in the paint, both offensively and defensively. As for the abundantly athletic Barton, he is starting to score with regularity and is establishing himself as one of the best rebounders in the league.
"They have started to get their legs under them again and that has made a big difference," Jordan said.
While the T-wolves (8-2) have been heating up, the Blues (6-5) have been moving the opposite direction on the temperature gauge. After going 5-1 before Christmas, they have managed just one win in five outings since the break. A big reason for their struggles has been the absence of six-foot-four forward Omid Pourmomen and six-foot-seven forward Rob Hougaard. Both players were removed from the Capilano roster after the conclusion of the first semester of school.
Despite the fact his Timberwolves won't have to deal with Pourmomen and Hougaard, Jordan is still expecting a tough game from the Blues, who are powered by second-year point guard James Lum. Last season, the playmaking Lum claimed the league's top rookie award.
"We'll have to keep him under control and not let him get going in the open floor and start picking us apart with passing the basketball," said Jordan, whose team is currently ranked 12th in Canada.
The Blues are coached by Prince George's Jordan Yu.
Game-time is 8 p.m.
On Saturday, also at 8 p.m. at the NSC, the Timberwolves will take on the Quest University Kermodes (0-11), who occupy the PACWEST cellar. The contest will mark the final home games in the careers of UNBC post player Dennis Stark and guard Lucas Groot.
