The one-two punch of
Deanna Tuchscherer and
Maddy Gobeil wore down the Thompson Rivers WolfPack on Thursday night, as the University of the Fraser Valley women's basketball team earned a 68-56 road win in Kamloops.
It wasn't a banner night for the Cascades offensively, but the combination of Tuchscherer's relentlessness in the paint and Gobeil's playmaking off the dribble were the difference as UFV improved to 10-2 in Canada West play while dropping TRU to 1-15.
Tuchscherer totalled a game-high 24 points – her fourth 20-plus-point outing in CW play this season – while Gobeil, a South Kamloops Secondary grad playing in her hometown, stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals.
In the aftermath, Cascades head coach
Al Tuchscherer was quick to point out his team's struggles shooting the ball – on a night where they generated a lot of quality looks in the paint, they were only able to hit 36.6 per cent from the field.
"At some point, it matters how you win games, and we're not really playing at a high level right now," he said. "Our defence is OK at times, but it's kind of back to the drawing board offensively."
Nikki Cabuco got the Cascades off to a bright start, draining a pair of triples in the opening two minutes, and the visitors led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter.
UFV maintained a double-digit cushion for much of the second quarter, and led 36-23 at the break.Â
The Cascades stretched the lead to 41-25 after a Gobeil corner triple early in the third, but the WolfPack responded with a 12-2 run highlighted by seven points from Kyla Smith.
Deanna Tuchscherer and
Natalie Rathler started grinding down TRU in the paint, though – Tuchscherer scored nine points in the frame as UFV took a 52-40 lead to the fourth.
The Cascades stitched together an 8-2 run to begin the fourth, capped by a Gobeil trey, to seize a firmer grip on the proceedings, up 60-42, and they cruised from there.
Rathler did a little bit of everything for UFV, finishing with eight points, six boards and three assists.
Victoria Jacobse hauled down 10 rebounds, and Cabuco's five assists were a team-high.Â
Megan Rouault went 4-for-8 from downtown and paced the WolfPack with 16 points, while Smith and Priyanca Sundher scored 11 apiece.Â
The Cascades return to action next week with a pivotal road swing, facing UBC (Feb. 11) and UVic (Feb. 12), and Coach Tuchscherer noted that the Cascades need to find their mojo offensively.
"We've got to get back to basics here and really start with some early season repetition-type drills and go from there," he said. "We're getting shots that we want. Now, we've just got to be able to put the biscuit in the basket."
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