Women’s Basketball ( with files from Rich Abney / UNBC Athletics ): Claggett breaks Canada West free throw record in Cascades win at UNBC
A historic night for Taylor Claggett ended with a victory for her University of the Fraser Valley Cascades.
The fifth-year power forward from Mission, B.C. set a new Canada West conference record for career free throws on Friday evening in Prince George, B.C., sinking her 455th and 456th midway through the second quarter to surpass the previous mark of 455 established by Saskatchewan Huskies great Sarah Crooks.
Claggett went 11-for-12 from the line for the night, on her way to tying her career high with 30 points in the Cascades’ 79-67 triumph over the host UNBC Timberwolves. She added 15 points and four assists to help UFV boost its record to 7-4, while dropping the T-Wolves to 3-8.
The two teams wrap up the weekend series on Saturday (5 p.m., CanadaWest.tv).
“Canada West has a storied history of some of the best players to come out of this country, so when you get to the top of one of those lists, it’s pretty special,” Cascades head coach Al Tuchscherer said, reflecting on Claggett’s milestone moment. “It’s a big moment for that person and that program.
“In the history of our program, obviously Taylor goes down as one of our real special players. She has a real elite style to her game, and she’s as tough to stop as anybody.”
In the first quarter, it was the Cascades who came out firing. Claggett asserted herself in the post and the Timberwolves were unable to generate much in the way of offence, as UFV held a 23-10 lead after ten minutes.
In the second quarter, with physicality ramping up, UNBC head coach Sergey Shchepotkin was ejected after voicing his displeasure at a non-call after T-Wolves star Madison Landry drove to the basket. That seemed to light a fire under the hosts, as they went on a 11-2 run. Maria Mongomo and Landry were the story, getting to the rim for easy baskets, and the half ended in a 42-42 deadlock.
The third quarter was highly contested as the Cascades utilized sublime ball movement for good looks, while a shorthanded UNBC squad battled for every inch. After Alexis Worrell and Natalie Rathler made big shots late in the frame, a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Claggett to put the visitors up 62-58.
UFV picked up its play in the fourth quarter, as star rookie Deanna Tuchscherer made a trio of baskets to stretch the visitors’ lead to 10 points. UNBC were unable to convert on their looks, and the Cascades kept them at bay down the stretch.
“It’s a nice cherry on top of the win, but it’s not something I set out to do,” Claggett said of her free throw record. “It’s just been a by-product of the way I play. I just keep attacking the hoop hard, and that’s what’s come out of it.”
Tuchscherer added 15 points and five boards, and Nikki Cabuco energized the Cascades with four steals.
For the T-Wolves, Mongomo had 24 points, 12 rebounds, seven steals and four assists, while Landry had 24 points and six rebounds. Emma vanBruinessen added six points and 14 rebounds in defeat.
Men’s Basketball: Cascades ride balanced attack to big road win over T-Wolves
The University of the Fraser Valley men’s basketball team showcased their depth in an impressive 87-72 win over the UNBC Timberwolves in Prince George on Friday evening.
The Cascades didn’t have anyone score more than 14 points, yet shot a scorching 54.3 per cent from the field as a team, with six players scoring in double digits.
Vick Toor and Parm Bains tied for team-high honours with 14 points; Matt Cooley, Sukhjot Bains and Sukhraj Bains scored 12 apiece; and Jaskarn Bajwa tallied 11 points as UFV improved to 5-6 in Canada West conference play.
Vova Pluzhnikov had a monster night for the hosts, racking up 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists, but it was not enough as the T-Wolves fell to 4-7.
The two teams conclude the weekend series on Saturday (7 p.m., CanadaWest.tv).
“We shared the basketball,” Cascades head coach Adam Friesen succinctly analyzed. “Everyone was confident and being a threat out there. They played some zone, and we moved the ball and found the open areas and got contributions from a lot of people.
“For us to play our best basketball, we’ve got to have five threats on the floor at all times. The fact that confidence has been built in all our guys goes to show how much work people are putting in outside of practice time. And as teammates, they’re putting trust in each other, which is great to see and allows games like this to occur.”
The Cascades, despite missing key rotation pieces Kenan Hadzovic and Daniel Adediran due to injury/illness, were dialed in offensively on this night. After battling UNBC to a 19-19 stalemate through one quarter, they opened the second on an 11-2 run capped by a Vlad Mihaila corner triple. The T-Wolves fought back to level the score 42-42, before late buckets by Cooley and Sukhjot Bains gave UFV a 46-42 lead at the half.
The visitors surged to start the third quarter, reeling off 13 straight points highlighted by Jordyn Sekhon’s steal and subsequent breakaway dunk. UNBC got back to within 10 points early in the fourth, but the Cascades responded with a 10-0 run capped by a Cooley dunk over T-Wolves forward Fareed Shittu to make it 82-62 and essentially seal the result.
Sekhon chipped in with nine points for the Cascades, Sukhjot Bains hauled in a team-high nine rebounds, and Toor dished out nine assists.
Tyrell Laing notched 18 points for UNBC, and Saymon Loki scored 10.
Women’s VolleybaLL ( by Jordie Arthur, Cascades communications assistant): No. 1-ranked Mariners top Cascades in three
The University of the Fraser Valley women’s volleyball team was unable to overcome a slow start, falling in straight sets to the Vancouver Island University Mariners on Friday.
The match was delayed by two hours due to poor weather affecting the visitors’ travel plans, and when it finally commenced, the CCAA No. 1-ranked Mariners (13-0) knocked off the No. 10 Cascades (8-8) by set scores of 25-8, 25-19 and 25-22 at the Envision Financial Athletic Centre.
“We played long rallies with them, and we did some good things,” Cascades head coach Janelle Rozema analyzed afterward. “But at the end of long rallies, they were the ones to finish them.
“As the game went on we found more ways to finish rallies, but they’re the best team in the country for a reason. They have more than one attacker who make us have to work really hard. They have multiple threats. What we’re trying to embrace is, that’s the name of the game in Canada West. Playing a team like VIU is preparing us for the future. Obviously we always play to win, but the value of tonight was learning to play top-level volleyball against a top-level team.”
Unfazed by the delay, VIU jumped out to an early 8-2 advantage in the first set before extending it to 15-8. From there, a nine-point service run by Shelby Dorman-Banks allowed them to close it out in commanding fashion, 25-8.
The Cascades built an 11-7 lead in the second, but the Mariners would rally to snag a 16-14 advantage. A kill and a block by the Cascades’ Alysha Cooper drew the teams even once again, but a pair of kills by VIU’s Danielle Groenendijk and an ace by Dorman-Banks would help propel them to a 23-18 lead, and they finished it off 25-19.
The teams traded points early in the third, but with the score at 3-3 the Mariners would score the next four points to take a 7-3 lead. With the score at 8-5, VIU’s Andrea Cankovic rattled off a nine-point service run that included three aces, to make it 17-5. The Cascades would close the deficit to 23-20 after securing timely kills by Chelsea Kidd, Amanda Matsui and Kristen McBride, but it was not enough as the Mariners closed out the match 25-22.
Matsui paced the Cascades with 11 kills and two aces, while McBride added nine kills. Kara Williams notched 21 set assists on the night.
The two teams renew hostilities Saturday afternoon at the EFAC (1 p.m., pacwestbc.tv).
Men’s Volleyball ( by Adam Hutchison, Cascades communications assistant): Cascades start strong, but Mariners battle back for four-set win
The University of the Fraser Valley men’s volleyball team dropped a four-set decision to the Vancouver Island Mariners on Friday night at the Envision Financial Athletic Centre.
The Cascades took the first set 25-20, but the CCAA No. 6-ranked Mariners fought back, winning the next three 25-21, 25-17, 25-21.
The win boosts the Mariners’ record to 9-4 in PACWEST play, while the Cascades fall to 5-11. The two teams finish off their weekend series Saturday at 3 p.m. at the EFAC.
“I thought we started well,” UFV head coach Nathan Bennett observed. “We played well early, and they weren’t quite in the gym yet – they still had some travel legs under them. They got better as the game went on, for sure.
“A bystander could look at our team and know who’s winning without looking at the scoreboard, though. I think we need to be more consistent in our body language. We were in the match, but in the end, we let it go from things we did on our side of the net.”
The Cascades came out strong in the first set, building a 17-14 lead thanks to three kills apiece from Justin Peleshytyk and Caleb Kastelein. The Mariners battled back to tie it at 17, but after a UFV timeout, they reclaimed the momentum and cruised to a 25-20 set win.
There was nothing to separate the two teams throughout the vast majority of the second set as they exchanged points to 20-20. The Mariners then took advantage of some late Cascades errors, though, and took it 25-21.
The third set followed the same script, with neither team able to develop a sizable lead early. Landon Uy took charge for the Cascades with three kills in the opening stages, keeping his team close at 11-10. VIU would take control from there, closing it out 25-17.
The Mariners picked up where they left off at the end of the third set, opening up an 11-4 lead to start the fourth. The Cascades battled back to cut the deficit to 15-14, but the Mariners proved too much, finishing off the decisive set 25-21.
Kastelein paced the attack for the Cascades, posting a game-high 18 kills. Landon Uy registered 12 kills and 14 digs of his own, while Graham Walkey served up 37 set assists.
Jeff Webb led the way for the Mariners with 14 kills and nine digs, and Jordan Davis had 36 assists.
