An airtight defensive performance and an offensive breakthrough from
Alexis Worrell sparked an impressive blowout win for the University of the Fraser Valley women's basketball team over the Trinity Western Spartans on Thursday evening.
A highly anticipated match-up at the Langley Events Centre between the top two teams in the West Division slowly lost any sense of drama, as the Cascades stifled the Spartans to the tune of 22.6 per cent shooting from the field.Â
At the other end of the court, fourth-year guard Worrell exploded for a career-best 17 points, eclipsing her previous career-high point total of eight in the first half alone.Â
Deanna Tuchscherer returned to the lineup to rack up a game-high 18 points for the Cascades, andÂ
Canada West women's basketball player of the weekÂ
Maddy Gobeil continued her strong play with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The Cascades (8-1) and Spartans (8-1) renew hostilities next week with a pair of games at the UFV Athletic Centre (Jan. 21-22).
Nicole Fransson's nine points were a team-high for the Spartans, but UFV held her to eight points below her season average on 3-of-13 from the field.
"I'm really happy with the direction of our team right now," UFV head coach
Al Tuchscherer said. "We're doing some things really well. Defensively, I think we make it difficult for teams to get quality shots – we did that tonight – and our offence started to flow after the first quarter. When we we're doing that, we've got a lot of different weapons out there, a lot of different people who can shoot and who can score. Some things came together really well tonight.
"The girls have really embraced the idea of just being in the moment and being the best version of themselves that they can be at that particular time. It's pretty cool to see."
The two defences dominated early – five minutes into the first quarter, the score was 2-2. Worrell came off the bench to inspire the Cascades offensively, scoring seven quick points as the visitors owned a 15-10 lead at the end of the frame.
The Cascades steadily built on that advantage in the second, and led 37-24 at the break after Worrell's trey from the left wing on UFV's final possession. Worrell finished the half with 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field, and the Cascades' defence limited the Spartans to 17.1 per cent shooting.
UFV tightened the screws further in the third quarter, outscoring TWU 17-6 in the frame, and they stretched the lead to 30 points (60-30) after
Madison Draayers drained a pair of triples to open the fourth quarter.
Afterward, Coach Tuchscherer noted how proud he was of Worrell, who went 3-for-5 from downtown and added two steals.
"It's really rewarding to see it all come together for a senior player in her final year," he said. "Lex is playing with a lot of confidence right now . . . and she really understands her role. Last week she started, tonight she was first off the bench. She can do a bunch of different things for us, and she's just embracing that. Her shot's looking good right now, and her defence is really solid."
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