Abbotsford/Winnipeg – Women’s Basketball: Cascades advance with victory over Timberwolves
Taking on a pesky UNBC Timberwolves team that pushed them until the final seconds, the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades proved why they’re a nationally-ranked program, holding off the TWolves 77-70 on Friday, February 17 booking their ticket to the Canada West quarterfinals.
In the early going, both defenses dug in, forcing the opposition into tough shots. Canada West All-Star Maddy Gobeil gave UFV an early lead on a triple, before UNBC’s own All-Star, Alina Shakirova, answered with a triple of her own. Gobeil continued to assert herself, slicing to the hoop for tough finishes in the paint, while UNBC looked to keep pace with jumpers from Sveta Boykova and Laura Garmendia Garcia.
After Gobeil buried another triple to the Cascades a late lead, it was Boykova making a three at the buzzer to give the Timberwolves a 16-15 advantage after ten minutes.
Nikki Cabuco came out firing in the second quarter, making treys on back-to-back possessions to build a small edge for the Cascades, but UNBC’s Sarah Kuklisin made two threes of her own, knotting the game midway through the frame.
The Cascades gained some ground before the break with second-year post Julia Tuchscherer getting a pair of buckets inside to go, and her big sister Deanna getting to the hoop with success against the pesky TWolves defenders. The TWolves would push back in the final minute of the half, but found themselves down 38-31 when the buzzer sounded.
The teams came out trading baskets in the third quarter, as UNBC senior Olivia Wilson got two tough putbacks to drop, while Deanna Tuchscherer was up to the challenge at the other end with a pair of layups. Back-to-back treys from Rebecca Landry and Jenna Korolek gave UNBC their first lead at the game at the 5:30 mark of the quarter, but that possession of the lead and momentum was a game of hot potato the rest of the frame.
Maddy Gobeil put her stamp on the stanza, getting a tough and-one to go for UFV, but Sarah Kuklisin would make the final shot of the quarter, making a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the TWolves a 53-51 lead.
UFV came out the more assertive side early in the fourth, as a lid appeared over the basket the TWolves were shooting on. As UNBC struggled to get anything to drop, missing their first six shots, Gobeil and the Cascades built a moderate lead as the clock ticked down.
However, the TWolves wouldn’t go away. Kuklisin and Landry hit triples, cutting the deficit back down to three points inside the four-minute mark. They’d take the lead on a Garmendia Garcia jumper, before Cabuco knocked down a three at the other end to give Fraser Valley the lead yet again.
With the clock working against them, UNBC continued to press the action, but every time they’d make a basket, the Cascades would answer. Garmendia Garcia made a midrange jumper, Cabuco answered. Landry made a huge three, but Tuchscherer got a tough and-one to drop. Eventually, the buzzer would sound, with the Cascades earning an incredibly hard-fought 77-70 decision.
“Give a lot of credit to UNBC today,” praise UFV head Coach Al Tuchscherer. “We didn’t adjust well to their zone at times, but in the end, we had some players make some big plays. Maddy [Gobeil] made some plays down the stretch, and Deanna [Tuchscherer] and Nat [Rathler] made some big plays so that was good to see.”
Gobeil was the engine for UFV, scoring 26 points, grabbing 11 boards, and adding five assists and four steals. Cabuco had 17 points, including five three-pointers, while Deanna Tuchscherer had 17 points and seven rebounds.
For UNBC, Shakirova had 17 points and eight rebounds in the final game of her Canada West career. Kuklisin made four three-pointers on her way to a 12 point, six rebounds, and four assists. Garmendia Garcia had 12 points off the bench, while Landry added 11 points.
The game marks the final game in the careers of UNBC’s Shakirova, Wilson, and Korolek.
UFV now moves on to the Canada West quarterfinal, where they will take on the Alberta Pandas on Saturday, February 18th in Edmonton.
“Alberta is tough,” noted Al Tuchscherer. “We haven’t played them this season, but we’ve seen them on film – it’s going to be a battle for sure.”
Men’s Basketball: Cascades season ends with playoff loss to Brandon
WINNIPEG, MB – The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades were unable to overcome a hot start from the Brandon University Bobcats as they fell 106-94 on Friday afternoon at the Duckworth Centre.
UFV sees their season come to an end despite outscoring Brandon 62-24 in the paint, while the Bobcats hit a season-high 22 three-pointers to keep their Canada West postseason alive. The Bobcats made 48.9 per cent from three, the third straight game they’ve shot better than 40 per cent from distance.
Five players scored in double figures for the Bobcats, with Jahmaal Gardner leading the way with 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting and 4-for-8 from three. He added six rebounds. Sultan Haider-Bhatti chipped in with 19 points, six rebounds and five assists; Anthony Tsegakele added 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Elisha Ampofo scored 18 points off the bench.
The Bobcats trailed briefly in the first minutes of the game, but a 21-2 run over 3:14 took a modest 6-3 deficit and gave the Bobcats a 24-8 edge. They scored 38 first-quarter points and led 61-45 at the half.
Although the Cascades trailed by as many as 25 in the game, 15 second half points from Chris Jackson helped UFV chip away and they trimmed Brandon’s lead to just 88-85 with 6:08 to play. However, a 10-2 Brandon run gapped the lead sufficiently for the Bobcats to roll to a first-round playoff win and a date with the Winnipeg Wesmen Saturday (2 p.m. CT).
“The start officially was our end,” noted UFV head coach Joe Enevoldson. “We were the better team for 25 minutes, but that start was something else.”
“Kudos to our character and resolve to cut it back down to three, but we kind of took our foot off the gas and played them even the rest of the way. You can’t do that in playoffs. You have to be dialed in for 40 minutes.”
Jackson’s 24 points led the Cascades. Dario Lopez added 17, Matthias Klim had 16 off the bench, Dylan Kinley added 12 and seven assists with only one turnover before fouling out, and Courtney Anderson finished with 10 points. The Cascades made seven of 23 from three and shot 51.2 per cent from the field.
“For the guys that stepped up today – the future is very very bright and we have a chance to really make some noise next year and moving forward.”
The result means Friday’s game will be the last of Anderson’s university career as he finishes his final year of eligibility.
“For Courtney, he went out and we have closure there and he had a great career and a great year. For him to go out and play the way he has after Christmas, it’s a testament to him and we will miss him for sure.”
Women’s Volleyball: Attieh helps lead Cascades past Cougars
| Abbotsford, BC – Gabrielle Attieh led the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades in both kills and blocks, as they took down the Regina Cougars in straight sets (25-13, 25-23, 25-23) on Friday at the UFV Athletic Centre As it happened: UFV launched out to a 14-7 lead in the first set. The Cougars hit back with four straight points, but the Cascades would close out the opener on an 11-2 run including two aces from Kristen McBride. The teams traded points in the second as UFV went up 21-19, but Regina hit back to take a 23-22 lead. The Cascades wouldn’t be turned away though, as Natalie Lemoine-Sells picked up two kills in the last three points to secure the set for UFV. The Cascades raced out to a 19-11 advantage in the third, but a run of seven points pulled the Cougars back within one, before levelling it at 21 apiece. UFV turned it on from there, scoring four of the next six to end the match. Top performers: Attieh led the way for UFV with 16 kills, four blocks, and 10 digs, while setter Cailin Bitter notched 39 assists, and libero Emily Matsui had a team-high 12 digs. Setter Annika Hufnagel notched 21 assists and 13 digs in the defeat for Regina. Bailey Balaberda led the team with eight kills, while Claire Sheppard picked up six kills, two aces, and four blocks in the effort. Quotable: Cascades setter Cailin Bitter “As a setter it’s really nice to have a lot of threats, and we have threats everywhere, so I can spread out the offence. I feel comfortable setting all of them in all situations. I trust them to put the ball away and they produce for me, so I love playing with them.” “Our team has three A’s. It’s anytime, anyone, anyplace, so we’re ready to go wherever for playoffs whether it’s here or anywhere in Canada West.” Where they sit: With the win the Cascades improve to 17-6 in Canada West play and keep pace with the Winnipeg Wesmen and UBC Thunderbirds in the race for a home playoff date. Meanwhile the Cougars fall to 2-21 on the season. The two teams meet again on Saturday at 5 p.m. in the UFV Athletic Centre to close out the regular season schedule. The Cascades will need a win, and a loss from either Winnipeg or UBC in their final regular season matches on Saturday to secure home court advantage in the first round of the postseason. |
