Friday, Nov. 5: Cascades (2-0, T-1st in West Division) at UBC Thunderbirds (0-2, T-6th in West Division), 6 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 6: Cascades at Thunderbirds, 5 p.m.
Vancouver, B.C. / War Memorial Gym
Webcast: CanadaWest.tv presented by Co-op

THE MATCH-UP

The Cascades look to solidify an early-season perch atop the West Division at the expense of the Thunderbirds, who are always tough, particularly at home. The last match-up between the two programs was Jan. 3-4, 2020 in Abbotsford, with the two teams splitting the weekend set.

RECENT FORM

The Cascades are coming off a homecourt sweep on opening weekend – they saw a big lead nearly slip away on opening night vs. UBC Okanagan but prevailed 71-67, and they were more efficient vs. the UNBC Timberwolves the next night and won 73-48.

UBC is still looking for its initial win of the young season – they fell 72-68 to the TWU Spartans last Friday, and lost 74-72 to UVic on Saturday on a Tana Pankratz buzzer-beater.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Julia Tuchscherer, UFV – The Cascades' 17-year-old rookie forward arrived on campus a year earlier than expected, having completed high school a year early, and she's more than holding her own so far. On Saturday vs. UNBC, she had a breakout game, racking up 25 points and 18 boards. She's currently second on the CW rebounding leaderboard, averaging 13.0 per game, and she's 10th in scoring (17.5 per game).

Hailey Counsell, UBC – The third-year guard paced the T-Birds last Saturday vs. UVic, pouring in a team-high 23 points. She showed a particular knack for getting to the free throw line, knocking down 10 of 15 attempts, and the Cascades will seek to keep her under wraps without fouling this weekend.

QUOTABLE

"I think everyone is very hopeful. We can see the potential the team has, and at the same time, we can tell how much room we have to grow as a team. You can see each player is going to get better as the season goes, which is really exciting. Hopefully we peak at the right time." – Cascades fourth-year guard Alexis Worrell, on the mood of her team after opening weekend

"I think defensively, you could tell from the first night to the second that we made a lot of adjustments, and we were definitely better. We're still working on it. Defence is something we pride ourselves as a team, and we have a specific way we want to get it done. We're just trying to work to perfect it in that sense. Offensively, we have so much potential and players who bring a lot of different things to the table." – Worrell, on where her team has room to grow

"UBC is always tough. They're a rival, and going down there, their stadium is always packed and they're always super-excited to play us. Out of all the places we play, it's one of the hardest. We have to go in super locked-in and ready to go, focused on us." – Worrell, on facing UBC on the road