HUSKIES START TOUGH ROAD TO POSTSEASON2013-01-31

The University of Saskatchewan Huskie men’s basketball team will need to play their best ball of the season as they close out the Canada West schedule with pivotal matchups.

Saskatchewan will play three of the top four Canada West Prairie Division teams over the final three weekends of the regular season. First up - the University of Winnipeg Wesmen visit the PAC Friday and Saturday.

Entering this weekend series, just four points separate first from fourth. At stake for the top two teams in each division is a home playoff date in the conference quarter-finals.
 
Winnipeg (11-6) and the Huskies (11-5), who have a game in hand on the Wesmen, enter the weekend in a tight battle for third spot tied with 22 points. Both teams hope to gain on the second place Manitoba Bisons (12-5).
 
Playing without Canada West scoring leader Stephon Lamar for much of last weekend, the Huskies split a pair of games with the Brandon Bobcats. In the split, third-year guard Ben Baker and second-year forward Matthew Forbes stepped up to help put points on the board combining for 59 points. Fifth-year Patrick Burns has continued to dominate in rebounding for the team gathering another 23 on the weekend.

Winnipeg’s six game winning streak was snapped with two losses at home to the Calgary Dinos last weekend. Throughout 2012-13, Steven Wesley, Benny Iko and Travis Krahn have led the Wesmen in scoring. Wesley leads the way averaging 18.2 points per game, followed by Iko with 14 and Krahn adding another 12.5. Wesley and Iko are also strong on the boards averaging 8.2 and 9.1 rebound per night respectively.

Since the 2008-09 season, the Huskies are 7-0 against Winnipeg. The Wesmen last defeated the Huskies on January 12, 2008 in Winnipeg 75-64.

The men will play at 8 p.m. in the tilts. Both games will be webcast on www.canadawest.tv.