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UNBC women's basketball cracks top 10 in 2019-20 Canada West preseason poll

Saskatchewan Huskies come in at number one
Jess Balzer
Jess Balzer
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Emily Holmes and the rest of the UNBC Women's Basketball squad will be looking to improve on their historic 2018-19 season this year. (via UNBC Athletics)

It looks like the UNBC women's basketball team will come in howling. 

The 2019-20 Canada West season kicks off tonight for both Timberwolves' squads at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre and the women are looking to live up to last season and a new ranking reflects that success. 

Canada West released its conference preseason poll today (Nov. 1) for women's basketball, which saw the lady T-Wolves come in at number 10 on the day of their season opener. 

They'll be looking to continue their strong play from last season, when they won their first-ever playoff game by upsetting Trinity Western University thanks to a last-second shot by the Spartans looked to be going through the basket but rimmed out, giving UNBC the win. 

They would go on to face the Calgary Dinos in quarter-final action, but lost both games and brought an end to their historic season.

During the 2018-19 season, the women finished fourth in Canada West offensive rankings with an average of 77 points per game and 11th on the defensive side of the ball, allowing 72.8 points a game.

“Our team has been working hard in the preseason, so it’s time to show what we’ve got,” Alina Shaklrova said in a recent team release. “We have really high hopes for this season. We want to make playoffs and go one step further than we did last year. We have been building this pre-season, and I think we have a great team to reach our goals.”

The team will have to adjust without Vasiliki Louka, who is the UNBC women's basketball program leader in blocks as well as points and rebounds as she graduated last year and now plays professionally back home in Greece.

Louka also led the Canada West conference in rebounds with 12.7 per game and recording 18 double-doubles. 

She also finished eighth in Canada West scoring with 17.3 points per game, while also finishing in the top five in offensive rebounds, blocks, as well as free-throw percentage.

Louka would also be the first female UNBC Timberwolf athlete to be named named a Canada West All-Star.

If you think that's impressive, the Greece product is one of four players in the history of Canada West to record 40 double-doubles in their careers, earning the feat on Nov. 24, 2018.

Here's the complete 2019-20 Canada West Women's Basketball Preseason Poll: 

  1. Saskatchewan Huskies (256 points, received all 16 votes available to them)
  2. Calgary Dinos (240 points) 
  3. UBC Thunderbirds (212 points)
  4. Lethbridge Pronghorns (197 points)
  5. Regina Cougars (187 points)
  6. Alberta Pandas (184 points)
  7. Fraser Valley Cascades (164 points)
  8. Victoria Vikes (157 points)
  9. Winnipeg Wesmen (153 points)
  10. UNBC Timberwolves (124 points)
  11. Manitoba Bisons (102 points) 
  12. Trinity Western Spartans (83 points) 
  13. UBC-Okanagan Heat (83 points)
  14. Mount Royal Cougars (49 points) 
  15. MacEwan Griffins (42 points)
  16. Thompson Rivers WolfPack (40 points)
  17. Brandon Bobcats (39 points)

The women’s team tips-off against the Victoria Vikes at tonight at 6 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 2).