Two weeks.
That's all that's left in the Canada West basketball regular season schedule and the Timberwolves are still fighting to extend their year into the playoffs.
This weekend (Jan. 25 and 26) is the last road trip of the season for both Timberwolves squads and they head to Vancouver to face the UBC Thunderbirds.
Both the men's and women's UBC teams have already clinched their spots in the postseason with impressive records.
The women have a 12-4 record (currently fifth in Canada West standings) while the men hold a 15-1 record (second place in Canada West standings).
UNBC, on the other hand, hasn't had quite as much success to date.
The women have a 9-7 record and sit in eighth place in Canada West standings while the men currently own a .500 record at 8-8 which places them ninth in the Canada West table.
The ladies are on a two-game losing skid with a 2-6 record away from home, which may not be ideal for the team.
As a team, they're scoring 77.1 points per game, 71.9 points allowed per game while shooting 43.9 per cent from the field, 28.5 per cent from three and 79.1 per cent from the line.
They average 41.4 rebounds per game and 17.6 assists per game.
"It is really important for us to get wins this weekend because we would like to host a playoff game, instead of going somewhere else," UNBC's Alexis Magrath says in a news release. "It’s also important to help us just make the playoffs because we haven’t secured that spot yet.”
The women Thunderbirds are on a streak of their own and can't be stopped.
UBC has won their last nine games and hold a 7-2 record on their own floor.
The ladies average 78.2 points per game, allowing only 64.6 points per game while shooting 43.5 per cent from the floor, 30.5 per cent from three, and hitting 64.1 per cent of their free throws.
They also average 51.4 rebounds per game as well as 17.6 assists per contest.
WBB Preview: @UNBCWomensBball visits the dangerous @UBCWBBall this weekend, in an important @CanadaWest battle in Vancouver. Hear from @dptstrojans product Alexis Magrath, and read a full preview here: https://t.co/CJ1i48ivl2 pic.twitter.com/BUUqZVFZdp
— UNBC Athletics (@UNBCATHLETICS) January 24, 2019
The UNBC men's side currently has a one-game winning streak after their latest win against Alberta on Jan. 19. They hold a 4-4 record on the road.
The team averages 80.3 points per game while allowing 73.4 points per contest, shooting 40.1 per cent from the field, 28.9 per cent from downtown, and 73.4 per cent from the free throw line.
They also average 39.1 rebounds per game and 16.2 assists per game.
"It’s rare to have three Nationally-ranked teams, on the road, in your schedule," UNBC's Saje Gosal adds in the release. "For us, it’s a unique challenge, and something we are really looking forward to. We have given ourselves confidence by going into Saskatchewan, beating them, going into Alberta, and beating them. We are looking to continue that trend.”
The UBC men's team has only one loss on the season. They've currently won 14 in a row with an 8-1 record at home.
The team averages 95.9 points per contest, allows 73.4 points per game, 46.7 per cent from the floor, 31.6 per cent from three, and hit 73.1 per cent of their free throws.
They also average 51 rebounds per night and 16.8 assists per game.
.@UNBCBasketball hits the road this weekend to visit the 15-1 @UBCThunderbirds; the 3rd time they'll play a @USPORTSca Nationallly-ranked opponent on the road this season! We talked to @sajegosalBC7 about the challenge, which you can read more about here: https://t.co/Fm0cE79BbT pic.twitter.com/5OpqCAlT40
— UNBC Athletics (@UNBCATHLETICS) January 24, 2019
Tomorrow (Jan. 25) the women tip-off at an unusual time of 1 p.m. due to UBC hosting elementary schools at the game. The men will tip off at 7 p.m.
On Saturday (Jan. 26) the women wil take the floor at 5 p.m. with the men once again at 7 p.m.
