Abbotsford — UFV Basketball is preparing for a home-and-home doubleheader with the TWU Spartans this weekend in a match-up that is both the culmination of a local rivalry and the last two games of each team’s regular season. The Cascades men and women have each taken three of their last four regular season games against the Spartans, and look to be the favourites once again going into the weekend.
Saturday night’s game at the Envision Athletic Centre is sponsored by Pita Pit. Some free samples will be given away during the doubleheader.
Women’s Basketball:
The UFV Cascades (15-5) are sitting pretty this week at the top of the Pacific division and a full ten wins above the Spartans (5-15). Still, Thursday’s game between the two teams will be held at TWU and, as the last home game of the Spartan’s season, will also be TWU’s Seniors Night. Being the road team during Seniors Night is a tough gig for any team since the home side’s fifth-years (Trinity Western has two) are often electrified by the knowledge of their imminent retirement. That being said, the Cascades will return to the EAC on Saturday for their own Seniors Night, ready to ride the exact same energy to (hopefully) a sweet victory.
The Spartans are not a high-scoring team, averaging only 58.4 points a game (UFV averages 70.6). TWU is led on the scoreboard by seniors Holly Strom and Janelle Traber, who average 17.4 and 10.5 points respectively. Most of the offense runs through Strom, so defending her will be of primary importance to the Cascades.
Men’s Basketball:
The UFV Cascades (15-5) have locked up second in the Pacific division and are three wins ahead of TRU with only two games remaining. That means the Cascades possess an enviable amount of freedom this weekend to play however and whoever they like. Trinity Western (10-10), by comparison, sits one win beneath UBC in the battle for the fourth and final playoff spot in the division. The Spartans need to sweep UFV to have a chance of making playoffs, as UBC holds the tiebreaker.
Fourth-year forward Danny McDonald is the most potent player in the Spartan’s offense, average 14.2 points per game and an astronomical 62.8 percent from field goal range. After McDonald, the Spartans possess a remarkably balanced office with five players averaging between 8 and 12 points a game. The Spartans are at .500 on the season, but average only 1.6 points less than their opponents, meaning that TWU is possibly underperforming given their potential. Thankfully for the Cascades, the Spartans men don’t have any fifth-year players and therefore won’t feel the same incentive for individual heroics on Friday night.
UFV Seniors Night (Feb 15)
The Cascades will be celebrating their own seniors on Saturday at the EAC. Check out what the seniors players (and their coaches) have to say about their time at UFV:
*Schedule Change*:
Thursday, Feb 13
6 pm UFV Cascades @ TWU Spartans (WBB)
Friday, Feb 14
6 pm UFV Cascades @ TWU Spartans (MBB)
Saturday, Feb 15
5 pm TWU Spartans @ UFV Cascades (WBB)
7 pm TWU Spartans @ UFV Cascades (MBB)
Comments are closed.