Men's Hoops Friday Night

Week 9 of the PACWEST basketball season tips off on Friday night with three games on the schedule.

Capilano Blues @ Langara Falcons – Friday January 27, 8:00pm | WATCH HERE

Four points separate these two programs in the standings as they meet for the second time this season.

Their first meeting was a back-and-forth contest which came down to the wire in a Falcons 98-95 victory in November. They shot 51% and 38% from downtown in the win led by Nicholas LaFontaine coming off the bench for 21 points on the strength of five-three pointers. The Falcons have hit a cold spell and have lost three games in a row, looking to right the ship this weekend.

The Blues meanwhile split last weekend at Camosun and will look to put a bit more space between themselves and the Falcons in the standings. In that loss to the Falcons they shot 49% with two players hitting the 20-point plateau. Josh Dhillon had a game high 23 points and Ahmad Athman connected for 20 points.

They are just two points behind the idle Chargers for second place.

Head-to-Head

Records: Blues 6-4 – Falcons 4-6
Average Points For: Blues 85.2 – Falcons 85.9
Average Points Allowed: Blues 83.8 – Falcons 87.2

Leading Scorers: Tyrone Asenoguan 20.2/game (Blues) – Royce Sargeant 18.1/game (Falcons)

Leading Rebounders: Tyrone Asenoguan 6.6/game (Blues) – Jas Dhudwal 12.5/game (Falcons)

Okanagan Coyotes @ Douglas Royals – Friday January 27, 8:00pm | WATCH HERE

This is a very interesting game when it comes to the standings. The Coyotes and Royals meet for the second time this season with just two points separating them in the standings.

The Royals have won two of their last three and are coming off four straight games on the road. They are looking for a little payback after losing to the Coyotes 81-66 back in November. They shot 36% in the loss with Corez Johnson scoring 19 points and Jeevan Sidhu finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds. They had kept that game close until the Coyotes exploded in the final quarter outscoring them 29-17.

The Coyotes are coming off back-to-back wins last weekend and will play their seventh straight on the road. They will try and draw from their victory over the Royals in November when they shot 43% led by the 19 points from Jake Sabbagh and the double-double of 17 points and 10 boards from Allan Koe-Mundu.

They currently hold down the final playoff spot.

Head-to-Head

Records: Coyotes 4-6 – Royals 5-7
Average Points For: Coyotes 79.8 – Royals 80.8
Average Points Allowed: Coyotes 83.2 – Royals 88.9

Leading Scorers: Zach Dawkins 14/game (Coyotes) – Corez Johnson 19.3/game (Royals)

Leading Rebounders: Delwin Hothi 6.3/game (Coyotes) – Jeevan Sidhu 8.2/game (Royals)

CBC Bearcats @ VIU Mariners – Friday January 27, 8:00pm | WATCH HERE

The top team in the country, the VIU Mariners just keep rolling and will welcome the Bearcats this weekend after a lopsided win in their first meeting.

They shot 44% in an 81-65 win back in December. Richard Henderson was outstanding with 24 points and eight rebounds while Zekun Li came off the bench to drill four-three pointers and tally 18 points.

The Bearcats are coming off a split last weekend, tasting victory for the first time this season. They shot 35% in their first meeting with the Mariners led by the 22 points from Jonathan Dillon.

They remain six-points out of the final playoff spot.

Head-to-Head

Records: Bearcats 1-9 – Mariners 10-0
Average Points For: Bearcats 79.9 – Mariners 88
Average Points Allowed: Bearcats 89.7 – Mariners 67.3

Leading Scorers: Jonathan Dillon 24.1/game (Bearcats) – Tori Odom 18.4/game (Mariners)

Leading Rebounders: Keegan Schuurman 11.6/game (Bearcats) – Richard Henderson 9.9/game (Mariners)