Abbotsford, BC – Men’s Basketball: Cascades fall for second straight night to WolfPack
The University of the Fraser Valley men’s basketball team suffered a second straight road loss at the hands of the Thompson Rivers WolfPack on Saturday.
The final score in Kamloops was 96-66, as all five WolfPack starters scored in double figures. Reese Pribilsky, Albert Medrano and Luke Morris led the way with 17 points apiece, and TRU shot better than 50 per cent both from the field (37-of-70) and beyond the arc (13-for-26).
The Cascades, meanwhile, shot just 39.1 per cent from the field and 25.9 per cent from long distance, turning the ball over 23 times compared to the WolfPack’s 14.
Matt Cooley and Vijay Dhillon scored 13 points apiece to pace UFV. Nav Bains (12 points, nine rebounds) and Kevon Parchment (nine points, six rebounds, six assists) also chipped in.
Thompson Rivers goes into the Christmas break in possession of first place in the Explorer Division with a 7-1 record, while the second-place Cascades are 5-3.
“We didn’t have our best performance out there tonight,” said UFV head coach Adam Friesen, whose team had fallen 89-75 to the WolfPack on Friday. “Thompson Rivers were the better team, and they proved it this weekend.”
The WolfPack seized control of the game from the get-go, building a 26-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, and they maintained a significant double-digit lead the rest of the way.
The Cascades resume Canada West regular-season action the weekend of Jan. 8-9, when they host the Mount Royal Cougars at the Envision Athletic Centre.
Women’s Basketball: WolfPack beat Cascades 80-59 to complete weekend sweep
The Thompson Rivers WolfPack finished off a weekend sweep of the University of the Fraser Valley women’s basketball team on Saturday evening, winning 80-59 in Kamloops.
The Cascades and WolfPack battled back and forth for most of the first quarter, but things started going sideways for UFV towards the end of the frame. TRU bridged the first and second quarters with an 11-0 run, headlined by a pair of three-pointers from Emma Piggin, thus turning what had been a 12-11 Cascades lead into a 22-12 WolfPack advantage.
The hosts would never trail again – they led 42-25 at the break, and pushed the margin to 20 points late in the third quarter.
Thompson Rivers (6-2) moved into second place in the Explorer Division by virtue of the win, while the fourth-place Cascades saw their record levelled at 4-4.
“Just no push-back from us tonight at all,” analyzed UFV head coach Al Tuchscherer, whose team had dropped a 67-62 decision to the WolfPack on Friday.
“TRU played well, there’s no doubt about it. But when you play good teams, they’re going to play well, and the idea is that you play well. . . . You can’t be surprised by that, you can’t be deflated by that. And we were. We’ve got to figure that out.”
Rookie forward Taylor Claggett was a bright spot for the Cascades – she poured in a career-high 20 points and added nine rebounds and four assists. Conference scoring leader Kayli Sartori posted a similarly well-rounded stat line with 14 points, seven boards and three assists, but she and Claggett were the only Cascades to hit at least half their shots from the field – UFV shot 35.6 per cent as a team, including 4-of-25 from three-point range.
Thompson Rivers shot 42 per cent from the field, highlighted by 12 three-pointers, and turned the ball over just 14 times compared to 22 for the Cascades.
“Taylor battled hard tonight, and that was positive,” Tuchscherer said. “We intentionally looked for her more tonight – we liked that match-up, and she got the job done. We need more effort like that.”
Men’s Volleyball: Cascades cap weekend sweep with four-set win over Blues
The University of the Fraser Valley men’s volleyball team sacrificed a bit of excitement for the sake of efficiency on Saturday evening, as they completed a weekend sweep of the Capilano Blues.
On Friday, the Cascades required five sets to beat the Blues, eking out an 18-16 win in the fifth. It was thrilling volleyball for the fans, but not so much for UFV head coach Kyle Donen, who knew his team had more to give.
Saturday’s performance was more to Donen’s liking, as the Cascades prevailed in four sets (25-19, 24-26, 25-21, 25-22).
“We did a better job tonight,” Donen noted. “Still some hiccups here and there, but for the most part, much more consistent.
“It’s a good feeling heading into the break, having had three wins in a row.”
Indeed, the CCAA No. 15-ranked Cascades (7-5) not only head into Christmas with three straight wins and a perfect 5-0 record at the Envision Athletic Centre, they’ve also matched their win total for the entire 2014-15 PacWest campaign already.
“We’ve battled better on the road already this year, and we’ve continued to hold home court, which is something we did last year,” Donen said. “We’ve got work to do over the break before we get going in the second semester, but I feel good about where we’re at and where I think we can get to in the next month or so.”
The Cascades volleyball teams are now off until the weekend of Jan. 8-9, when they host the Camosun Chargers.
On Saturday, UFV controlled the first set, but trailed by as many as six points in the second before rallying to tie it at 24-24. The Blues, though, scored the next two points to level the match.
In the third set, the Cascades got energy off the bench from reserves Connor Prium, Levi Block and Dan Tang to spark a 25-21 win, and they finished off the match in clinical fashion in the fourth.
Donen praised the play of middles Connor Nickel and Dayton Pagliericci, who were effective as attackers and blockers.
“We attacked the middle really well when we could pass, and it worked for us,” Donen said. “They’re a little undersized in that middle spot, and we just kept attacking it and it continued to work.”
Women’s Volleyball: Blues bounce back to earn weekend split vs. Cascades
The Capilano Blues, upset victims on Friday evening, came back strong in Saturday’s rematch with the University of the Fraser Valley women’s volleyball team.
At the Envision Athletic Centre, the CCAA No. 7-ranked Blues (8-4) raced out to early leads in each set, en route to victory in three straight sets (25-23, 25-16, 25-16) over the Cascades (4-8).
“We put ourselves in a hole every single game,” noted UFV head coach Mike Gilray, whose team had beaten Capilano in four sets on Friday. “Starting from behind, it mentally took us out of the game.
“Our girls have worked hard this semester at getting better technically and keeping a better mindset. I think those things passed us by today – they struggled to keep a positive mindset.”
Sophomore left side Kelly Robertson notched a team-high 10 kills for the Cascades, while Nicole Blandford had a strong night from the service line with three aces. Libero Amy Davidson chipped in with 13 digs.
But the hosts were unable to find the same team-wide traction they generated in Friday’s breakthrough performance.
“Coming into the weekend, there were no specific expectations, other than taking care of our side,” Gilray said. “Coming off an upset win, if you will, the expectation of playing at that high level was there. So when you miss that for a couple points to start each game, you start to put more pressure on yourself.”
Saturday’s game was the last of the semester for the Cascades. They return to action with home games Jan. 8-9 vs. the Camosun Chargers.
