Timberwolves eager to play in front of home crowd

UNBC Timberwolves – (1-1)
4th in West Division Standings
64.0 Points Scored Per Game
72.0 Points Allowed Per Game
Scoring Leader: Alina Shakirova (27.5 Per Game)
Rebounding Leader: Sveta Boykova (16.5 Per Game)
Assists Leader: Rebecca Landry, Sveta Boykova (3.0 Per Game)
Steals Leader: Sarah Kuklisin (3.0 Per Game)
Blocks Leader: Lucy Guan (2.0 Per Game)

Player To Watch: Sveta Boykova, F
8.5 PPG, 16.5 RPG, 3.0 APG, 0.5 SPG
An imposing presence on the court, Sveta Boykova is as capable of shooting long-range jumpers with her silky left hand as she is at battling under the rim. UNBC coach Sergey Shchepotkin is asking the Moscow product to play big minutes on a Timberwolves roster with eight freshmen, and she has responded well in the early part of the season. The Timberwolves will need her to be on her game to secure victories on home court this weekend.

TRU WolfPack – Record (0-2)
7th in West Division Standings
69.5 Points Scored Per Game
83.5 Points Allowed Per Game
Scoring Leader: Elana Sireni (13.5 Per Game)
Rebounding Leader: Josie Mackie (9.0 Per Game)
Assists Leader: Kyla Smith (4.0 Per Game)
Steals Leader: Danijela Kovacevic (2.5 Per Game)
Blocks Leader: Anneke Cairnie (1.0 Per Game)

Player To Watch: Elana Sireni, F
13.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.5 SPG
Two games into her Canada West career, Elana Sireni very much looks the part of a future impact player at the university level. In fact, the six-foot forward looks the part of an impact player right now. A strong rebounder with touch around the hoop, the Surrey product will need to be accounted for as the TWolves try to take care of the defensive glass against an active WolfPack squad.

Quotes:
UNBC’s Rebecca Landry

On the mentality this weekend…
“Since we won our first game against them, I am sure they are really hungry to beat us. We have to play them right away, so we have to make sure we are just as hungry to get those two wins. We really need and want those. Making sure we are fighting really hard and making sure we change anything that we need to.”

On the matchup with the WolfPack…

“They love to shoot a lot of threes, and that is something we need to work on; making sure we are aggressive on them and making sure they can’t get those open looks. They also really like to look inside and cut to the rim, so making sure we are stopping those cuts.”

On playing at home for the first time in 636 days…

“I am super excited to play in front of everyone. Hopefully, we get a big turnout. I am super pumped we actually get to play here, finally, on our home court in our home game. I think it will be really fun.”

Milestone Watch

-Alina Shakirova scored her 500th career Canada West point last week vs UFV
-Alina Shakirova recorded her 200^th career Canada West rebound last week vs TRU
-Sveta Boykova’s 22 rebounds vs TRU broke Vasiliki Louka’s UNBC’s single-game record (20)
-Alina Shakirova scored her 50^th career Canada West three-pointer last week vs UFV

UNBC Men’s Basketball Preview
Friday, November 5^th vs TRU WolfPack at 8 PM
Saturday, November 6^th vs TRU WolfPack at 6 PM

UNBC Timberwolves – Record (1-1)
4th in West Division Standings
81.0 Points Scored Per Game
81.0 Points Allowed Per Game
Scoring Leader: Tyrell Laing (19.0 Per Game)
Rebounding Leader: Vova Pluzhnikov (9.0 Per Game)
Assists Leader: Vova Pluzhnikov (5.0 Per Game)
Steals Leader: Fareed Shittu, Payton Tirrell (1.5 Per Game)
Blocks Leader: Fareed Shittu, Rohtash Mattu (2.0 Per Game)

Player To Watch: Spencer Ledoux, F
9.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG
In a lineup full of dynamic guards and perimeter threats, it is easy to forget that Spencer Ledoux is among the most efficient interior scorers in the conference. In 2019-2020, his first year as a starting post, the Kamloops product set a Timberwolves single-season record for field goal percentage. With his hometown team in town, expect the third-year to provide valuable minutes and presence at both ends of the floor.

TRU WolfPack – Record (1-1)
5th in West Division Standings
72.0 Points Scored Per Game
70.5 Points Allowed Per Game
Scoring Leader: Brendan Sullivan (17.5 Per Game)
Rebounding Leader: Brad King (8.5 Per Game)
Assists Leader: Richard Mageto (2.5 Per Game)
Steals Leader: Tyler Schilling (2.5 Per Game)
Blocks Leader: N/A

Player To Watch: Brad King, F
13.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.0 SPG
Standing six-foot-nine in a strong and athletic frame, it is hard to miss Brad King on the basketball court. The Australian import has been crucial to the WolfPack approach, and his physical approach sets the tone for what TRU wants to do on offence and defence. The post will look to crash the glass for second-chance looks, and the TWolves will need to do their best to keep him at bay in order to limit those opportunities.

Quotes:
UNBC’s Spencer Ledoux

On playing his hometown team…
“It’s exciting to play that team. I know what they do. I grew up even practicing with them a little. I know them quite well and it’s fun.”

On the opening weekend effort…

“We came out and played quite well. We are excited to see that we can go against the competition like that. The key, I would say, is mental toughness this weekend. Staying locked in.”

On the matchup with the WolfPack…

“TRU is a very solid at running their offense. They have a great coach. One of their guys, when we played them, we stopped him, but he just went off for 30 points. Luckily, we have played them already and we know what they do. They don’t change much that often, so we know the gameplan and we are ready to go.”

On playing on homecourt…

“The Sport Centre has one of the best crowds in all of Canada West and we feed off that crowd. It is worth at least ten points for us. It’s exciting to have a half-full crowd there. I, personally, haven’t played there in two years and everyone is really jacked about it.”

Milestone Watch

-Vova Pluzhnikov recorded his 200^th career Canada West assist last week vs UFV
-Fareed Shittu scored his 200^th career Canada West point last week vs UFV
-Spencer Ledoux scored his 100^th career Canada West point last week vs UFV
-Vova Pluzhnikov needs 20 points to reach 900 for his Canada West career
-Tyrell Laing needs 23 points to reach 900 for his Canada West career
-Fareed Shittu needs 1 rebound to reach 200 for his Canada West career
-Fareed Shittu needs four blocks to reach 40 for his Canada West career
-Chris Ross needs 40 points to reach 200 for his Canada West career
– Vova Pluzhnikov needs five made free-throws to pass Franco Kouagnia for most in UNBC’s Canada West history (173)
-Tyrell Laing needs seven made free-throws to pass Franco Kouagnia for most in UNBC’s Canada West history (173)
-Vova Plizhnikov needs 12 assists to pass James Agyeman for most in UNBC’s Canada West history (214)

by Ethan Ready, Files from UNBC Athletics

Timberwolves eager to play in front of home crowd

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