The University of Regina's women's basketball team will play host to the Lethbridge Pronghorns this weekend in a best-of-three Canada West quarterfinal series that begins on Thursday night at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.

The Cougars, who are looking to advance to the Canada West Final Four for the third consecutive season and for the fifth time in the last seven seasons, had last weekend off after ending their regular season with two losses to the Saskatchewan Huskies. Though Regina had first place in the Great Plains Division wrapped up going into the home-and-home with the Huskies, the losses dropped the Cougars two spots to No. 4 in the CIS Top Ten.

The Pronghorns and the Cougars met twice during the conference schedule, with the Cougars taking 76-67 and 75-61 wins in Lethbridge back in early November.

Brittany Read had a spectacular season for the Cougars and could become the first U of R player to be named an All-Canadian since Jana Schweitzer in 2005. Read averaged a team-high 14.4 points per game, led Canada West with an average of 9.8 rebounds per game, and tied for first in the conference with 33 blocked shots.

Joanna Zalesiak was right behind Read with an average of 14.3 points per game and also finished second in the conference with 87 assists.

The Pronghorns, who are making their first appearance in the postseason since playing a quarterfinal series against Regina back in 2002, are led by the backcourt combination of Stephanie Price and Lauren Taal.

Price averages a team-leading 15.5 points per game and led all Canada West players with 98 assists this season, while Taal scored 14.7 points per contest and was the conference's leader in minutes played.

Regina holds a 14-5 edge in the all-time series against the Pronghorns counting conference games only, and the Cougars won the only postseason series between the two teams – the 2002 Canada West quarterfinals – two games to one.

Tip-off for all three games is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the CKHS.