Friday, Jan. 3: Cascades (5-3, 7th in Canada West) vs. UBC Thunderbirds (7-3, 5th in Canada West), 6 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 4: Cascades vs. Thunderbirds, 5 p.m.
Envision Financial Athletic Centre / South Gym
Webcast: CanadaWest.tv presented by Co-op

It's been a while since the Cascades hosted the Thunderbirds basketball teams in Canada West regular-season action – more than six years, in fact. November 29 and 30, 2013 marked the last time the two programs played regular-season games in Abbotsford, with UFV's women's and men's teams combining to win three of four that weekend.

"We haven't been matched up in a long time here at home, so it's going to be exciting to play them in front of our fans," Cascades fourth-year forward Jessica Zawada said. "A lot of the players know each other because of the local aspect of the two schools, and I think we're all excited to get a crack at them."

The fall semester was a learning experience for the Cascades' youthful rotation, but they emerged with a 5-3 conference record and are looking to climb the standings in 2020.

The T-Birds, likewise, had a solid start to the campaign. They're an efficient group offensively (their 43.1 field goal percentage ranks third in CW) and are particularly strong in the paint, boasting the second-best rebounding margin (+8.4) in the conference.

"Rebounding is something we've worked hard on throughout the first half of the season," noted Zawada, whose Cascades have posted a +1.6 rebounding margin thus far. "We didn't start as strong as we would have liked, and we've definitely developed in that aspect of the game. It's been a focus in practice – the physicality aspect, boxing people out every time, every play. Pat (Lee, Cascades assistant coach) has been on us about rebounding, so it's always in the back of everyone's minds."

Players to watch: Cascades senior standout Taylor Claggett has had a dominant start to the season, sitting second in the CW scoring race (19.9 points per game) and ranking third in rebounds (10.0) and sixth in assists (3.8). The Mission, B.C. product is also approaching a pair of significant statistical milestones. She's on the verge of setting a new CW conference record for career free throws – she's made 437, and the record of 455 is held by Saskatchewan Huskies legend Sarah Crooks. She's also chasing the Cascades' all-time scoring record – she's totalled 1,242 points in her career, and is closing in on former All-Canadian Sarah Wierks (1,321). UBC's Keylyn Filewich, meanwhile, had a stellar fall semester in her own right. She was named the Canada West female athlete of the month for November, and ranks third in the conference in scoring (19.3) and first in rebounding (10.1).