Friday, Jan. 31: Cascades (12-4, 5th in Canada West) at Thompson Rivers WolfPack (7-9, T-9th in Canada West), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 1: Cascades at WolfPack, 5 p.m.
Kamloops, BC
Webcast: CanadaWest.tv presented by Co-op

THE MATCH-UP

The Cascades punched their playoff ticket for the 10th straight season by virtue of last weekend's road sweep of the Mount Royal Cougars, and they're looking to continue to climb the standings and secure a top-four spot and a first-round playoff bye. The WolfPack appear well-positioned to join UFV in the post-season, but they've got work to do to clinch. The two teams know each other well, having played two exhibition games in Abbotsford in October. Host UFV swept the series, winning a 55-53 nail-biter on Oct. 18 and blowing out the WolfPack 85-46 the next day.

RECENT FORM

The Cascades are winners of seven in a row, most recently earning a pair of wins at Mount Royal – one blowout (83-57 on Friday) and one close call (69-63 on Saturday). The WolfPack, meanwhile, have dropped three of their last four – they were swept at UVic this past weekend, and split at Brandon the week prior.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Alexis Worrell, UFV – The third-year guard has worked her way into a key role off the bench for the Cascades, bringing great defensive intensity and chipping in with timely plays at the offensive end. One of six Cascades to see action in all 16 games this season, Worrell is averaging 15.6 minutes and 3.2 points.

Leilani Carney, TRU – The senior guard has been an absolute workhorse for the WolfPack – she's averaging 34.6 minutes per game, third-most in the conference (UFV's Taylor Claggett is second at 35.3). Carney leads TRU in scoring at 12.9 points per game, shooting 36.9 per cent from beyond the arc.

QUOTABLE

"I'm excited because I'll get to play in front of a lot of my family and friends, and it'll be nice to have that support. There's a tournament in Kamloops we had when I was in high school, the Fulton Cup, and it was by far my favourite. You're playing against local teams, playing front of family and friends every game. I think that's what this weekend will be like." – UFV rookie guard Maddy Gobeil, a Kamloops product, on what it'll be like to play in her hometown

"I think our defence has come a long way, but there are a bunch of little things we need to improve on and focus on this weekend. I feel like we have to go in confident, but not overconfident. We played them in the preseason, and our first game was super-close – we won on a Vic (Jacobse) buzzer-beater. And then the next night we had a completely different outcome. We can't overlook them – we need to come in with an open mind and get the job done." – Gobeil, on facing the WolfPack