Prairie Divison foes enter the Okanagan. Heat tip-off Friday at 6pm versus the Winnipeg Wesmen. Saturday at 5pm versus Manitoba.
Game Times (All times in PST) 
FRIDAY (JAN 31): Heat Women’s Basketball – vs. the Winnipeg Wesmen (6 p.m.)*
SATURDAY(FEB 1): Heat Women’s Basketball – vs. the Manitoba Bisons (5 p.m.)**
LOCATION: To be played at UBC’s Okanagan campus gymnasium, Kelowna, BC
TICKETS: Heat ticket info
MEDIA: Webcast on canadawest.tv Direct link: FRIDAY'S GAME | SATURDAY'S GAME
* Friday night is Moksha Yoga Night. Many chances to win Moksha Gift Cards throughout the game.
**Saturday night is the third annual KidSport Game. For every three pointer made by the Heat $50 will be donated to KidSport™. There will also be a signed Steve Nash Lakers jersey up for raffle at the Men’s halftime, tickets are by donation! At the Men’s halftime, prior to the Steve Nash raffle draw, the KLO Cougars Grade 8 will be receiving their medals for winning the City Championships. Last Year $900 went to KidSport.
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| UBC OKANAGAN HEAT | WINNIPEG WESMEN |
HEAT (4-17, 3-13 Canada West) SCHEDULE & RESULTS | ROSTER | STATS
CIS National Ranking: N/A
CanWest Standings: 6th Pacific Division
Last week: 0-2 vs UFV: Fri L 66-31, Sat L 66-52
Streak: 3 losses
2012-13 CanWest Record: 6-16 (7th, Pacific)
2013 CanWest Playoffs: N/A
2013 CIS Tournament: N/A
Last CanWest Title: N/A
Last CIS Title: N/A
Head to head: The Wesmen are 2-0 against the Heat in both of the teams’ regular season matchups with about a ten point margin between the teams each time. Emily Kanester (Vernon, BC) has always had a good game against Winnipeg, going for a combined 37 points in their two meetings since the team’s 2011-12 inaugural campaign.
Last weekend: Despite Friday evening’s game slipping away from the Heat, 66-31, UBC Okanagan would rebound in Saturday night’s game in a big way. The Heat would trail by only four heading into the half versus Pacific Division-leading Cascades, and while they would ultimately lose 65-52, they showed vast improvement in their game versus one of Canada West’s best teams. Winnipeg, meanwhile, was able to secure two victories over the Brandon Bobcats, winning 58-54 and 76-66. As for Manitoba, they were unable to defend home-court versus the Regina Cougars, losing 89-59 and 74-50.
Party crashers: The 8-8 lady Wesmen are battling to try and overtake 11-5 Calgary for the fourth and final playoff spot over the final six games of the season. The Heat could play the part of an upset for the Wesmen’s chances at getting that berth with a win or two this weekend.
Dynamic Duos: The Wesmen boast two Top 10 scoring talents in senior Stephanie Kleysen and sophomore Megan Noonan. Kleysen is 8th with 16.0 ppg while Noonan is right behind at 9th with 15.8 ppg. Meanwhile, the Heat’s backcourt combo of Emily Kanester and Sarah Allison are also on the Canada West leaderboard at 17th (12.2 ppg) and 24th (10.6 ppg), respectively.
Making turnovers: The Heat predicate a lot of their game upon forcing turnovers to get out on the break with their quick guard play. However, the Wesmen rank second in the conference for their turnover margin, making nearly two less turnovers (1.94) than their opponents on average.
Tough to win on the Road: The Wesmen are 7-0 at home and just 1-8 on the road with their only road victory coming in Brandon versus the Bobcats last weekend. Winnipeg hasn't won outside of the province this year.
| WOMEN’S TALE OF THE TAPE | ||
| UBCO | Statistics category | WPG |
| 58.2 | Points per game | 65.6 |
| -14.9 | Scoring Margin | +1.9 |
| .334 | FG Pct | .352 |
| .285 | 3PT Pct | .299 |
| .685 | FT Pct | .705 |
| -10.6 | Rebound margin per game | -2.9 |
| 73.1 | Points per game allowed | 63.6 |
| .423 | Opponents' Field goal percentage | .370 |
| .310 | Opponents' 3PT percentage | .300 |
WINNIPEG WESMEN (17-12, 8-8 Canada West) SCHEDULE & RESULTS | ROSTER | STATS
CIS National Ranking: NR
CanWest Standings: 5th Prairie Division
Last week: vs Brandon; Fri W 58-54, Sat, W 76-66
Streak: 2 wins
2012-13 conference record: 7-15 (6th Prairie, missed playoffs)
Last CW title: N/A
Last CIS title: 1995
- preseason preview courtesy of Canadawest.org
Key additions: Tia Ruddock, Skylar Boulanger, Brittania Brown, Kelsey Ngo, Adele Baril
Key returnees: Stephanie Kleysen, Alyssa Grant, Danielle Baril, Megan Noonan, Kerri Kuzbyt, Taylor Thorkelsson,
Key departures: Alex Warburton, Lauren Anderson, Tia Coulter, Yael Kaplan
WINNIPEG – Head coach Tanya McKay, entering her 18th season with the Winnipeg Wesmen, has once again assembled a group of players with a variety of playing experience.
The team will have two fifth year players providing leadership for the team. Alyssa Grant and Danielle Baril enter their final campaigns with the Wesmen each looking to lead the team to a playoff berth in the Prairie Division. The heart and soul of the team is fourth year guard Stephanie Kleysen. Kleysen averaged over nine points per game last year and was the team leader in rebounds with over seven boards per game. Second year guards Megan Noonan and Kerri Kuzbyt showed great promise in their rookie campaigns and both have shown significant improvement in their second seasons. Taylor Thorkelsson is another player who showed flashes in her first year. Thorkelsson will be looking to make more of an impact in her second season with increased playing time.
Four new faces will join the team for the 2013-2014 season. Tia Ruddock comes to the Wesmen from Red River College. Ruddock is a prolific scorer from the guard position and will provide added depth for the team. Brittania Brown from Toronto, Ontario has shown promise during the pre-season and she will be looking to carry that play into the regular season. Skylar Boulanger has provided solid play at the post position during pre-season action. Boulanger finished the pre-season with two double-doubles. Kelsey Ngo rounds out the list of first year players and will be adding depth to the team.
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| UBC OKANAGAN HEAT | MANITOBA BISONS |
MANITOBA BISONS (12-19, 3-13 Canada West) SCHEDULE & RESULTS | ROSTER | STATS
CIS National Ranking: NR
CanWest Standings: 8th Prairie Division
Last action: vs Regina: Fri L, 89-59, Sat L, 74-50
Streak: 12 losses
2012-13 conference record: 2-20 (7th Prairie, missed playoffs)
Last CW title: N/A
Last CIS title: 1997
| WOMEN’S TALE OF THE TAPE | ||
| UBCO | Statistics category | MAN |
| 58.2 | Points per game | 58.6 |
| -14.9 | Scoring Margin | -8.7 |
| .334 | FG Pct | .358 |
| .285 | 3PT Pct | .336 |
| .685 | FT Pct | .685 |
| -10.6 | Rebound margin per game | -3.6 |
| 73.1 | Points per game allowed | 67.4 |
| .423 | Opponents' Field goal percentage | .417 |
| .310 | Opponents' 3PT percentage | .277 |
Head to head: The Heat have captured both victories in two meetings with the Bisons, one at home and one on the road. The Heat won an impressive 75-71 overtime thriller last season in Manitoba. In the win, Kanester collected a double-double 11 points and 10 rebounds while Krystal Schouten added 13 points of her own.
Fantastic Four: The Heat and Bisons are each at 3-13 for the season so far, with one team inevitably to break through this weekend with win number four. The Heat need three wins in the next six games to tie their best Canada West season record at 6-16 in the 2012-13 season.
Making buckets: Both teams have struggled to be consistent from the floor this season, with each shooting less than 36% for the season. However, they rank as the bottom two teams in field goal percentage defense. Whichever team can get into a rhythm and groove early will give themselves the greatest chance at the W this weekend.
Eyeing the three: The Heat have tried stepping away from the three-point line as of late, instead working on better ball movement and attacking the paint more to try and open up shooters. Unfortunately, the Bisons always use the three-ball as a key cog of their offensive system, shooting 33.6% from the arc (3rd). Defending the perimeter will be a priority for the Heat to prevent the Bison shooters from going off.
Bison offense: Forth year Allison Balasko, the 5-11 forward leads the team in scoring at 10.2 ppg. and rebounds with an average of 6.4 per game. Another fourth year, 5-5 guard Sheree Carmona-Galdamez is second on the team in scoring at 9.8 ppg., Sheree is no long-range bomber, 0-9 on the year from three, she attacks the rim for her points.
- preseason preview courtesy of Canadawest.org
Key additions: Claire Harvery, Jenilyn Monton, Christina Posthumus
Key returnees: Sheree Carmona-Galdamez, Samantha Pyke, Stephanie Gill, Robyn Eyer, Christiane Fischer
Key departures: none
WINNIPEG – The Manitoba Bisons look to bounce back from a tough year as they had a smaller roster with new coaches at the helm. This season, Manitoba has added more depth with size, length and athletic.
After a 2-20 season in 2012-13, the Bisons aim much higher as they look to be above .500 and contend for a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive Canada West conference.
There is a strong core that returns to the Herd starting with captain and fifth year guard Christiane Fischer. Along with Fischer and her leadership and skills, fourth year guard Sheree Carmona-Galdamez, fourth year forward Samantha Pyke, fourth year Stephanie Gill and fourth year guard Robyn Eyer all will play pivotal roles in this year's edition. In addition, former Bisons returning from a year absence include fourth year forward Allison Balasko, fourth year forward Vanessa DeVries and fifth year forward Morgan Cross.
Along with the veterans, there are three rookies that should make an immediate impact in their first year. Forward Claire Harvery completed her high school career at Fort Richmond Collegiate and was a captain in 2012-13. The 6'0" forward averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks per game. Jenilyn Monton finished her high school career at Oak Park as part of the MHSAA 'AAAA" Championship squad in 2012-13. The 5'6" guard played varsity for four years. Christina Posthumus finished her high school career at Kildonan East Collegiate. The 6'2" forward had an impressive final season (2012-13) as she was a captain and averaged 30 points per game with averages of 16 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals plus four blocks while playing 30 minutes.