Prince George, B.C. – The UNBC women’s and men’s basketball teams are headed to the national championships later this month.

 

The Timberwolves won the PACWEST women’s Provincial Basketball Championship Saturday with a 62-53 win over the VIU Mariners. The T’Wolves Mercedes VanKoughnett was named Player of the Game and Tournament MVP as she finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists in the final game. Brittany Knievel of the Mariners was named Player of the Game, and also to the tournament All-Star team. Also named All-Stars were Shayna Worthington (VIU) and Jennifer Clyne (UNBC).

 

The Timberwolves will be the B.C. representative at the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association championships running March 15^th to 17^th in Lethbridge.

That’s the same weekend the UNBC men’s basketball team will play in nationals in Truro, Nova Scotia.

 

They won gold last night with a 69-61 victory of the VIU Mariners in the PACWEST Athletic Association championship game at Capilano University. MVP Francis Rowe led the way with 16 points. Joel Rybachuk was the UNBC player of the game with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. The Timberwolves’ Sam Raphael was named to the All-star team. The T’wolves led 23-10 after one quarter but that was cut to 29-21 at the half. UNBC held a 44-35 lead at the three-quarter mark and then the game blew open with the Mariners twice cutting the lead to 5 points. However Raphael’s shooting late in the contest sealed the game and the title for the Timberwolves.

 

UNBC becomes the first school to win both the men’s and women’s titles in the same season since UCFV won the BCCAA championships in 2003-04.