LETHBRIDGE – Facing a familiar opponent, the Lethbridge Pronghorn men's basketball team is set to host the Regina Cougars in the opening round of the Canada West playoffs, a one game play-in game with the winner advancing to the Canada West quarter-final next weekend.
The Pronghorns will take on the Cougars at the 1
st Choice Savings Centre Friday night at 8:00pm. Tickets can be purchased online at:
http://www.uleth.ca/tickets or at the door. Valentines 2 for 1 night, buy one ticket get one equal or lesser value free.
The Pronghorns and Cougars faced each other only six weeks ago in Lethbridge with each team winning a game. They also faced each other during the 2017-18 Canada West playoffs where the Pronghorns swept the Cougars two game straight in best of three quarter-final.
A look at the teams
Needing to string together wins, the Pronghorns (10-10) did just that down the stretch and enter the post-season riding a six game winning streak, clinching the home playoff game with a sweep of the Thompson Rivers WolfPack last weekend.
Statistically, the Pronghorns have one of the most balanced and potent attacks in all of Canada West. Through the end of the regular season, the Pronghorns had the fourth best offence in the conference, averaging 88.9 points per game. While the 'Horns finished 13
th (88.7 ppg) defensively, their defensive play down the stretch was paramount to their success and held the WolfPack below their season average in both games last weekend.
Six Pronghorns finished the regular season averaging double digits per game in points with Chad Oviatt leading the team with 16.9 points per game. Colton Gibb was second with 15.6 points per game, while Jeff Rodehutskors (11.9), Scott Mazutinec (11.7), Kyle Peterson (11.7) and Keanu Funa (10.1) round out the top scorers.
Peterson also led the Canada West in assists, averaging 6.2 per game.
The Cougars (10-10) just finished behind the Pronghorns in the RPI and went 6-4 during the second semester of the season. Last weekend, the Cougars split a road series with the Fraser Valley Cascades.
Regina finished in the middle of the pack in both team offence and defence, ranked eighth offensively averaging 84.6 points per game and ninth defensively allowing 80.6 points against.
Regina product Carter Millar led the Cougars in scoring, averaging 19.3 points per game and combined for 52 points in the Cougars two games in Lethbridge, but he missed the final six regular season games due to injury.
Greishe Clerjuste was second on the Cougars in scoring with 12.7 points per game.
Up Next
The winner of Friday night's play-in game will advance to one of four Canada West quarter-finals in either Edmonton or Calgary, also a one game winner take all. The single game semi-final will also happen next weekend.
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