The University of the Fraser Valley women's basketball team saw its four-game win streak snuffed out under a hail of Manitoba Bisons perimeter jumpers, as they dropped a 78-63 decision on Friday evening in Winnipeg.
The Bisons (3-4) shot 46.7 per cent as a team, highlighted by a 12-for-28 performance from beyond the arc, while limiting the Cascades (4-3) to 30.4 per cent shooting from the field at Investors Group Athletic Centre.
Manitoba forward Emma Thompson was lights-out from the perimeter, going 6-for-12 from distance on her way to a team-high 20 points. Rookie guard Lauren Bartlett added four treys of her own and finished with 12 points, nine assists and five rebounds.
UFV senior forward
Taylor Claggett had a big game in defeat, racking up 25 points, 12 boards and seven assists.
The two teams wrap up the weekend series on Saturday (3 p.m. Pacific time, CanadaWest.tv).
"Our defence has really been bailing our offence out for a number of games here, but tonight it wasn't able to," Cascades head coach
Al Tuchscherer said afterward. "I just thought we were a step behind all over the court tonight. When you're a step behind defensively, you're going to be in trouble. We gave them a lot of good looks, and they made us pay."
Manitoba erupted for a 12-5 lead in the opening four minutes of the first quarter, forcing UFV to take a timeout. The Cascades — one of the conference's stingiest defences coming in — responded in that department after the reset, going on a 10-1 run over the next two minutes to take their first lead. Rookie guard
Nikki Cabuco was the catalyst with two steals and seven points as the two sides entered the second quarter tied at 20.
Just 21 combined points were scored during a defensive-minded second quarter, with the Bisons clawing out a 33-28 halftime lead.
The hosts took full control in the third, going on a 13-2 run to open the frame. Manitoba drained three shots from beyond the arc during the run and went 6-for-8 on threes in the quarter. Claggett stepped up, recording 15 points in the third, nine of which came from the free-throw line.
Fraser Valley cut Manitoba's lead down to seven with two minutes to play, but couldn't get any closer. Fittingly, it was Thompson's sixth trey of the night with just over a minute left in regulation that was the dagger, and the Bisons finished the game off at the line.
Amanda Thompson and
Deanna Tuchscherer scored 10 points apiece for the Cascades, joining Claggett in double figures.
Keziah Brothers (15 points, nine rebounds) and Addison Martin (12 points) also chipped in for the Bisons.
- with files from Mike Still, Bison Sports
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