The University of Regina's women's basketball team hosts the UBC Thunderbirds this weekend for a pair of games that should have a dramatic effect on the upper portion of the Canada West standings.

The Cougars enter the weekend in sole possession of second place in the conference standings with a 15-3 record, one win back of first-place Saskatchewan (16-2) and one win ahead of third-place Winnipeg (14-4). UBC isn't ranked in this week's CIS Top Ten, but the Thunderbirds have put together a quality 13-5 Canada West record this season and are right in the mix in the tightly packed conference standings.

Regina is coming off a tough road sweep over Fraser Valley which saw the Cougars come away with 83-79 and 74-66 victories over the Cascades, while UBC has won 10 consecutive games after starting off the season with losses in five of its first eight contests.

Joanna Zalesiak enters the weekend as Canada West's leading scorer, averaging 16.8 points per game. Also having a strong season for the Cougars is Lindsay Ledingham, who averages 13.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest.

UBC's offence is well balanced, as the Thunderbirds feature four players who average at least 10 points per game. Zara Huntley leads the way with an average of 12 points per contest, with Alex Vieweg (11.7), Lia St. Pierre (10.6), and Devan Lisson (10.3) also averaging in double figures.

Following this weekend, UBC will wrap up the Canada West schedule with a pair of home games against Thompson Rivers and two on the road against Victoria. The Cougars finish off with a home-and-home against Saskatchewan next weekend and a pair at home against Manitoba on Feb. 18 and Feb. 19.