It is a pivotal for the OUAZ women's basketball team as they head to Southern California for its final road trip of the regular season starting with a matchup against Life Pacific on Thursday night. They will then travel to Fullerton to take on Hope International as the Spirit try to erase the two-game deficit for the final conference tournament spot.

The first matchup with Life Pacific saw OUAZ lead by five at halftime, and pull away in the second half for a 69-47 win on Jan. 18. The Spirit have yet to lose to the Warriors, and won by seven in the last trip to San Dimas, Calif.

An overtime thriller is what OUAZ and Hope International produced in the first meeting this season, where the Royals won by three. Mai'Zhrae Zeno hit a thrilling buzzer-beater to send the game into extra time, but the Spirit could not take that momentum into the additional frame, dropping its fifth straight game all-time to the Royals.

The domination on the glass by the Spirit has been a continuing theme this season, as they rank second in the NAIA in total rebounds per game (46.7). They rank top ten in each rebound category, as OUAZ is sixth in defensive rebounds per game (31.0) and ninth in offensive rebounds per game (15.7).

OUAZ's defending beyond the arc and been relentless, as the Spirit are 15th in the nation in opponent 3PT FG percentage (27.6%). They are using its length to advantage as well, ranking 20th in the NAIA in blocks per game (3.6).

Mickey Freeman has been a huge part of those 3.6 blocks per game, as she has managed 21 of them in just 11 games played. She has been a welcomed addition to OUAZ, as she is averaging 9.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in her return.

Kirsten Shinske has been having herself a good season in her first year after transferring from Glendale (Ariz.) Community College. She is averaging 14 points a game, and is in the top 50 in the NAIA in 3PT field goals made per game. She also dished 39 assists and is grabbing 4.5 rebounds per game.

Live stats and video of both games can be found at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ottawaaz/. Thursday's game at Life Pacific starts at 6:00p, and Saturday's matchup with Hope International is scheduled for 3:00pm.