The University of the Fraser Valley women's basketball team hung with the Saskatchewan Huskies throughout the first half on Saturday night in Saskatoon, but the host Huskies pulled away after the break for a 73-41 win.
 
Saskatchewan had blitzed the Cascades 87-47 in Friday's opener, but the Cascades came out with more resolve and physicality in the rematch and were within 27-24 through two quarters.
 
The Huskies, befitting their status as the nation's No. 5-ranked team, found some traction offensively in the second half, boosting their record to 3-1. The Cascades slipped back to the .500 mark at 2-2.
 
"Saskatchewan is one of the best teams in the country," UFV head coach Al Tuchscherer noted. "They're talented at both ends of the floor, and they did things that Saskatchewan is going to do (in the second half). They made shots, made us pay for breakdowns, and wore us down a little bit."
 
Saskatchewan had a hot start offensively, opening a 17-5 lead as Sabine Dukate and Maya Olynyk knocked down back-to-back triples.
 
The Cascades, though, closed the frame on a 10-0 run, bookended by treys from Abby Zawada and Alexis Worrell.
 
The Huskies were looking to get the transition game early in the second quarter, but a Dukate layup was rejected by Victoria Jacobse, as she swatted the ball out of bounds to get the Cascades bench out of their seats.

Points were at a premium in the second quarter as the two teams exchanged buckets in a 9-9 frame, giving Saskatchewan a 27-24 lead at the break.
 
The Huskies began to pull away in the third quarter, stitching together a 7-0 run, and they opened the fourth on a 10-0 surge to put the game away.

Katelyn Mallette's return to the lineup was a positive storyline for the Cascades over the weekend. After sitting out UFV's first two regular-season games due to injury, she scored eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in 18 minutes on Friday. Then on Saturday, she posted a team-high 10 points to go with six rebounds. Amanda Thompson chipped in with six points for UFV, and Taylor Claggett had four points and nine boards.
 
Dukate's 15 points paced the Huskies.
 
"Coming into the game today, we said we had to rebound the ball better and do a better job keeping their bigs out of the paint," Cascades head coach Al Tuchscherer said, reflecting on his team's gritty first-half performance. "To do that, we had to increase our physicality. I thought we really got pushed around last night, and it was good to see the girls respond to that. We weren't backing down from things, and I was really happy – that was a big step for our team."
 
The Cascades basketball teams return to the friendly confines of the Envision Financial Athletic Centre next weekend to host the Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas.
 
- with files from Matt Johnson, Huskie Athletics