UNBC Timberwolves basketball teams hit the road for first-round playoff games

Both UNBC basketball squads won't be far away from each other this week after the first-round CanadaWest playoff schedule was announced, which sees the men head to Abbotsford and the women head to Langley for games on Thursday (Feb. 7) and Friday (Feb. 8).

The women finished in ninth place in CanadaWest standings with an 11-9 record, while Trinity Western finished just above in eighth place with a 12-8 record.

The men, meanwhile, saw UNBC finish 11th with a 9-11 record and the University of the Fraser Valley came in at number five with a 13-7 record.

For the women's side, the Spartans average 68.2 points per game while allowing an average of 66.8, while UNBC averages 77 points per game, allowing an average of 72.8.

“They’re an aggressive team. They’re good at rebounding, and they’re a fast team," UNBC's Alina Shakirova says in a team release. "They have good shooters as well as really tough players under the basket, so it’s going to be a good matchup for us.”

The Timberwolves will need to pay particular attention to TWU's Tessa Ratzlaff, who is a dangerous player at both ends of the floor, while also looking for a strong game from Vasiliki Louka.

“Playoff games are obviously different than a regular season game," Shakirova adds. "There is more pressure, and it’s only a one-game knockout, so you can lose your opportunity to go further. We won’t have our crowd. We will still have some fans there, but that’s obviously a big loss for us."

Here are the scoring leaders for both women's teams:

UNBC Timberwolves

Scoring leader: Maria Mongomo (19.9 per game)
Rebounding leader: Vasiliki Louka (12.7 per game)
Assists leader: Madison Landry (3.6 per game)
Steals leader: Maria Mongomo (2.5 per game)
Blocks leader: Vasiliki Louka (1.1 per game)

TWU Spartans

Scoring leader: Tessa Ratzlaff (16.8 per game)
Rebounding leader: Tessa Ratzlaff (7.8 per game)
Assists leader: Sarah Buckingham (3.9 per game)
Steals leader: Jessie Brown (1.1 per game)
Blocks leader: Nicole Fransson (0.6 per game)

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. tomorrow night (Feb. 8).

The men will have a tougher mountain to climb visiting the Cascades.

UNBC averages 79.8 points per game, allowing 81.4 per game, while UFV averages 79.4 per night and allow 75.8.

“I think we have to play our game, move the basketball, and play together," UNBC men's head coach Todd Jordan says in the release. "They have a lot of team length, so you have to be careful about getting yourself into the crowded areas where you can turn it over. We have to do a really good job of making quick decisions, and finding offensive opportunities that we can attack.”

The Timberwolves will need to play tight against Parm Bains and Vick Toor who lead their team in points, assists, and steals, but UNBC will also want strong performances from Jovan Leamy and James Agyeman.

“Having that experience against them is obviously good for us," Jordan says in the release about meeting UFV earlier this year. "Seeing them has given us an opportunity to look at some weaknesses we can look to attack.”

Here are the scoring leaders for both men's sides:

UNBC Timberwolves: