The University of the Fraser Valley women's basketball team showcased its prowess at both ends of the court in a 71-44 homecourt victory over the Victoria Vikes on Friday. 

The Cascades got 20 points apiece from sophomore standouts Deanna Tuchscherer and Maddy Gobeil, and limited the Vikes to 25.0 per cent shooting from the field en route to their fifth straight win.

UFV (13-2) and UVic (9-6) meet again on Saturday at 5 p.m. at the UFV Athletic Centre. Graduating athletes Victoria Jacobse and Alexis Worrell will be honoured in a postgame Senior Night ceremony. 

"You're never sure, with a younger team like this, how they'll react to winning last week and how they'd approach tonight's game," Cascades head coach Al Tuchscherer said afterward, alluding to his team's 68-54 win at UVic last Saturday. 

"But our approach was fantastic tonight – I thought it was really business-like. We started with a lot of energy, defensively we were solid, and I thought our transition game really opened things up for us, too."
 

?? WBB | @nikki_cabuco to @maddygobeil on the fast break, and the Cascades lead UVic by seven at the end of 1Q!#GoCascades pic.twitter.com/n5pwSZB7S1

— UFV Cascades (@UFVCascades) February 19, 2022

The Vikes started brightly, opening a 6-0 lead on three-pointers from Ashlyn Day and Calli McMillan, but the Cascades dominated the balance of the first quarter. Deanna Tuchscherer exploded for nine points as UFV led 19-12 heading to the second.

The Cascades took firm control of the proceedings midway through the second, going on a 10-0 run – highlighted by treys from Gobeil and Worrell – to grab a 35-22 lead. 
 

?? WBB | @maddygobeil with the block, and going the other way, the ball whizzes around before settling with @deannamae462, who finishes the spectacular reverse layup! ??#GoCascades pic.twitter.com/YsqnyjxiCC

— UFV Cascades (@UFVCascades) February 19, 2022

The hosts would maintain a comfortable double-digit lead throughout the third quarter, with Gobeil scoring seven points in the frame, and they stretched the lead beyond 20 amidst a 14-5 surge early in the fourth. 

Deanna Tuchscherer's well-rounded stat line also included 10 rebounds and six assists, and Gobeil knocked down four three-pointers on the night. Natalie Rathler added 13 points, and Alexis Worrell sparked the Cascades off the bench with five points, six boards and four assists. 
 

?? WBB | Alexis Worrell is all hustle on the offensive boards, and it leads to a Natalie Rathler layup!

Cascades up by double digits in the fourth quarter!#GoCascades pic.twitter.com/j7qOOTAUEY

— UFV Cascades (@UFVCascades) February 19, 2022

McMillan (13 points), Aleah Ashlee (11) and Day (10) were the Vikes' double-digit scorers.

After struggling with turnovers in recent games, the Cascades took great care of the ball on Friday, coughing the ball up just 11 times while forcing the Vikes into 22 turnovers of their own.

"It's been an emphasis this week to simplify our game a little bit and try and improve our sharpness," Coach Tuchscherer noted. "The girls have really been thinking about that in practice, and it was nice to see that translate onto the court a little bit. We didn't turn the ball over too much, and we had 19 assists, so that was a good number for us as well."

IN BRIEF: 

• UFV Athletics inducted Olympic champion rower Lisa Roman and All-Canadian women's basketball standout Sue Parke into the Cascades Hall of Fame in a halftime ceremony. Read more about their incredible careers here.

• Cascades rookie guard Charley Arnold drained a three-pointer in the final minute for the first regular-season points of her career.