The University of the Fraser Valley women's basketball team scored a near wire-to-wire win on Saturday afternoon, blitzing the Thompson Rivers WolfPack 72-31 at the UFV Athletic Centre.
The Cascades, coming offÂ
a 73-54 win over the WolfPack on Friday where they'd erased a halftime deficit, wasted little time removing any suspense from the rematch. They raced out to a 20-point lead in the second quarter, and cruised from there.
UFV leads the West Division with a sparkling 5-1 record, while the WolfPack fall to 0-6.
"Today, the focal point of our game plan was staying focused, staying on task for 40 minutes," Cascades head coach
Al Tuchscherer said. "I thought we did a pretty good job of that. We came out with pretty good energy at the defensive end of the floor, and we were able to maintain that for a lot of the game.Â
"And it was nice for us to have the most flow we've had (offensively) for a sustained stretch, in the first and second quarter there, this season. That was good to see as well. We took better shots tonight, and we shared the ball."
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Victoria Jacobse, coming off a career high-tying 12-point effort on Friday, picked up where she left off, racking up eight points in the first quarter – highlighted by a pair of treys – as the Cascades led 17-11.
UFV dominated the second quarter, shooting 10-for-16 from the field thanks to some outstanding ball movement. They outscored the WolfPack 24-5 in the frame to grab a 41-16 lead at halftime.
Deanna Tuchscherer scored 10 points in the quarter, and
Nikki Cabuco ended the half with a sparkling +26 plus/minus mark. TRU, conversely, was shooting 12.0 per cent from the field at the break.
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The Cascades eased their way home from there, outscoring the WolfPack 14-2 in the fourth quarter to provide the final margin.
Jacobse ended up establishing a new career-high for points with 15, to go with a team-best eight rebounds and six assists. The senior guard has long been an impact player for the Cascades, but she's proving she can make a larger contribution in terms of scoring and playmaking.
"Last weekend at UBC, Vic was visibly frustrated,"
Al Tuchscherer noted. "It was because she was not happy with herself, not about displeasure with the team at all. We'd asked her to elevate her offensive contributions a little bit, and it really didn't happen for her (vs. the Thunderbirds). But this week, she's been very aggressive in practice.Â
"You're seeing the full arsenal from her – everything that she can do. She shot the ball well this weekend, she can attack, she's a creative attacker, she's long and she can defend, and she's playing with some urgency. There's a lot of really good things happening in her game right now."
Deanna Tuchscherer scored a game-high 24 points for the Cascades, and Cabuco scored 14.Â
Abbotsford product Kyla Smith scored 11 points off the bench to pace the WolfPack.
The Cascades basketball teams are now on a bye week, before returning to action with a road weekend vs. the UBC Okanagan Heat (Nov. 26-27).
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