Lethbridge – A week after achieving their first 10 win season in 17 years, the Lethbridge Pronghorn women’s basketball team (10-8) heads out on the road to face the nation’s fourth ranked Regina Cougars (15-3) with huge playoff implications on the line.
 
Heading into the final two weekends of the season, the ‘Horns are tied with the Alberta Pandas for the final playoff spot in the division and both teams only trail the Saskatchewan Huskies by one game for third.  Both the Pandas and Huskies hold the tie breaker over the ‘Horns and they’ll face each other during the last weekend of the season.
 
Searching for a post-season berth and riding a five game winning streak, the ‘Horns have the daunting task of facing the top two teams in the division down the stretch. After this weekend’s game versus the Cougars, the ‘Horns will complete the conference schedule with a home-and-home series against the Calgary Dinos next week.
 
After a stretch of solid defensive games, the ‘Horns have moved up to fifth in the conference in defense and have not allowed more than 60 points during their winning streak.
 
At the other end of the floor, the ‘Horns are ranked 13^th in conference scoring, averaging just over 60 points a night. Ali Cameron leads the ‘Horns in scoring with 15.5 points per night and both Kim Veldman and Erin Skippon have moved into the top 25 in conference scoring, averaging 12.2 and 11.7 points respectively.
 
Hosts of the CIS Championships in March, the Cougars are guaranteed a spot in the CIS Final 8, but are tied for the Prairie Division lead with the Calgary. The Cougars and Dinos split their series last weekend Calgary.
 
The Cougars sport the best point differential in the conference, holding the top ranked offense and third ranked defense. Tied with the Dinos and Fraser Valley Cascades for the best record in the conference, the Cougars are averaging 75.8 points per game, while only allowing 58.6 points against.
 
Leading the high powered Cougars is fifth-year, 6’2” post Brittany Read, who is 14^th in scoring (14.4 ppg) and second in rebounding (9.6 rpg). She also leads the conference in field goal percentage, hitting on nearly 60% of her shots.
 
In addition to being the top ranked offensive team, the Cougars are also the best rebounding team in the conference and lead the Canada West in blocks.
 
Tip-off for both Friday and Saturday night is slated for 6:15pm at Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport in Regina. Both games will also be webcast on www.canadawest.tv .
 
 
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