HUSKIES LOOK TO CONTINUE STRONG PLAY TOWARD PLAYOFFS2010-01-27

Manitoba visits the PAC Saturday and Sunday.

Both Huskie teams have been a roll to start the second half of the season each 4-2 in their last six games. Losses suffered by both teams were close including an 80-77 loss last weekend by the men to the University of Fraser Valley Cascades and 67-58 by the women to the No. 1 ranked Simon Fraser University Clan.

The No. 4 ranked Huskie women’s team enters the weekend on the heels of a sweep through B.C. against the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack and Fraser Valley. With their 9-5 record, they sit in third place in the Canada West’s Prairie Division with two games in hand on the second-place University of Alberta Pandas. The Bisons are seventh in the division at 6-9.

As a team, the Huskies hold opponents to a conference second-best 59.1 points per game. Fifth-year All-Canadian Lindsay DeGroot leads the Huskies and sits second in the Canada West with 17.6 points per game. All-Canadian guard Kim Tulloch adds 12.6 per game for the Huskies. DeGroot and Tulloch also lead the Huskies in rebounding with 7.2 and 5.4 respectively each night.

The Bisons score by committee with four players averaging double digits each game this season. Kayla Klassen and Kait Flett each average 12.4 a night, and Mubo Ilelaboye and Michele Hynes average 11.5 and 11.3 respectively. Klassen and Flett also lead their team in rebounds each averaging just under five a game.

The Huskie men’s team had a four-game winning streak snapped with the narrow loss last weekend to Fraser Valley. The Huskies sit tied for second place in the Prairie Division at 8-6. Manitoba is 4-11 and in seventh place after five straight losses.

For the second season in a row, Huskie Showron Glover leads the conference in scoring netting 26.6 per night. He also leads the conference in steals with 49 on the season. Fifth-year Michael Linklater adds 16.1 a night for the Huskies. Fifth-year forward Troy Gottselig leads his team in rebounding with 8.9 per game and averages 12.3 points per game.

Manitoba’s Nathan Dixon, Eric Garcia, Sean Maxwell and Richard Reimer all average double digits. Dixon leads with 17.9, followed by Garcia with 13.7, Maxwell at 13.6 and finally Reimer with 10.5. Reimer leads his team with 5.9 rebounds per night.

The women hit the court at 6 p.m. each night, while men’s tip off is at 8 p.m. All four games are at the PAC. All four games will be webcast on http://www.educationcdn.com/schools/huskies/.

Game Notes: The Huskies will do what they can for the Haiti Earthquake survivors/victims on the weekend. Partnering with the Canadian Red Cross, Huskie athletes will be in the crowd at all Huskie games Friday and Saturday collecting for the cause… Men's basketball will continue to sell sweaters in honour of deceased Huskie athlete Brennan Jarrett. The sweaters will sell for $75 with $25 from each sale going to Play For A Cure. The sweaters will be sold at every home Huskie basketball game this season.