Playoff bound WolfPack running wild
U SPORTS: Surging Thompson Rivers squad looks to extend win streak against Canada West cellar dwellers
The Thompson Rivers WolfPack will look to extend their seven-game winning streak when they visit the Trinity Western Spartans in Canada West men’s basketball action this weekend.
The Kamloops-based WolfPack (9-7) are tied with two other squads for the sixth-best record in the 17-team league. The top 12 teams qualify for the playoffs and will be seeded according to a formula that takes into account the strength of their schedules.
Trinity Western of Langley (1-15) sits last in the standings. There are two weekends left in the regular season.
Thompson Rivers, led by coach Scott Clark, is coming off a bye week. They haven’t lost a league game since falling to the Mount Royal Cougars of Calgary on Nov. 24.
They’re just 12th in the conference in scoring (77.4 points per game) but rank second in field goal percentage (45.3) and three-point shooting percentage (35.4) and lead in free throw percentage (78.6).
Thompson Rivers finished 8-12 last season.
Tonight’s contest at the Langley Events Centre (8 p.m.) is Trinity Western’s Bell Let’s Talk Night, which promotes conversations about mental health. Saturday’s game (7 p.m.), also at the LEC, is Trinity Western seniors night, were they’ll be honouring fifth-year forward Peter Spangehl and fifth-year guard Pogos Trunyan.
Meanwhile, the UBC Thunderbirds (13-3) visit the UBC Okanagan Heat (2-14) in Kelowna tonight (8 p.m.) and Saturday (7 p.m.), looking to keep pace with the Calgary Dinos (13-3) in the battle for second place.
The Alberta Golden Bears (15-1) lead the pack in Canada West.
Calgary was slated to visit the fourth-place Lethbridge (11-5) Pronghorns on Thursday and they host Lethbridge on Saturday.
UBC forward Conor Morgan leads Canada West in scoring (24.5 points per game) and rebounding (10.4 per game). He’s second in the country in scoring, and third in rebounding.
UBC leads U Sports in scoring (95.2 points per game).
In women’s basketball, the UVic Vikes (12-4) will look to extend their eight-game winning streak when they host Mount Royal (1-15) tonight (6 p.m.) and Saturday (5 p.m.).
The Vikes are in a logjam with Trinity Western (12-4) and the Winnipeg Wesmen (12-4) for third spot, behind the Regina Cougars (15-1) and Saskatchewan Huskies (14-2).
The Spartans, who split on the road with Saskatchewan last weekend, host Thompson Rivers (7-9) tonight (6 p.m.) and on Saturday (5 p.m.). Both games are at the LEC.
With her first point this weekend, Trinity Western fifth-year forward Kayla Gordon will become the program’s all-time leading scorer. She’s currently tied with Holly Strom atop the all-time scoring chart with 1,112 career points. Winnipeg is at Regina for a pair. Eighth-place UBC visits cellar-dwelling UBC Okanagan tonight (6 p.m.) and Saturday (5 p.m.).