For their roles in helping the UNBC basketball teams win provincial championships on the weekend, Francis Rowe and Mercedes Van Koughnett have been named PACWEST Athletic Association athletes of the week.
Rowe led the Northern Timberwolves men's team to a 93-84 semifinal win against the Camosun College Chargers on Friday and was a key contributor the next night in a 69-61 championship-game victory against the Vancouver Island University Mariners. Against Camosun, Rowe scored 14 points and, against the Mariners, he was on target for 16. In the two games, he drained four of his nine shots from three-point land.
Van Koughnett, meanwhile, had four assists and four steals in a 71-48 semifinal win against the Chargers. In the final, a 62-53 decision against the Mariners, she played the game of her life. She ended that contest just shy of a triple-double, with 20 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
Rowe and Van Koughnett were both chosen as tournament MVPs.
Both teams are now preparing for the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association national championship tournaments. From March 15-17, the UNBC men will be in Truro, N.S., and the women will be in Lethbridge, Alta.
The UNBC men are ranked first for nationals, while the UNBC women are the No. 3 seed.
