Abbotsford, BC – Maddy Gobeil continued her stellar second semester play as she scored 33 points to help lead the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades past the U SPORTS No. 1 ranked University of Saskatchewan Huskies 83-70 on Friday at the UFV Athletic Centre.

As it happened:
The Cascades shot out to a great start, taking a 16-9 lead part way through the first quarter. The Huskies cut the lead to one with 8:37 left in the half, but a flurry of second quarter points gave the Cascades a 45-32 lead at the half.

Saskatchewan hit back again in the second half, chipping away at the advantage until they found themselves level at 62. From there a Carly Ahlstrom jumper gave the Huskies a two-point lead, but Nikki Cabuco answered with a triple on the next possession to put the Cascades back on top.

Maddy Gobeil took over the game with under four minutes left. The third-year guard scored 10 of the game's next 13 points to put her team up 77-70 and lock up the victory.

Despite being out rebounded 48-29 on the night, the Cascades' tough defence led them to 27 points of turnovers compared to the Huskies' seven on the night.

Top performers:
Maddy Gobeil scored a team-high 33 points to eclipse the 30-point threshold for the second time in three weeks. She also added three assists, four rebounds, and four steals in the victory. Nikki Cabuco notched 20 points for the Cascades on the night, while Deanna Tuchscherer had 12 points and seven rebounds in the effort.

Carly Ahlstrom picked up 33 points of her own to go along with five rebounds on the night. Maya Flindall added 13 points and Gage Grassick tallied nine points, nine rebounds, and five assists.

Quotable:
Cascades guard Maddy Gobeil

"It's really fun. I just enjoy big games, and I feel like that's what we practice for. Playing against the top teams and playing in those close games, as a team we strive to be in those moments and experience those, but personally I just really enjoy it."

"We just have to stick to us, stick to our game plan. It was a really good team effort tonight, and we just have to keep bringing that every day. The base line for us is bringing that compete and that hustle, and if we do that, we know we are going to be okay."

Cascades head coach Al Tuchscherer
"We're a team that's still trying to figure out how to compete at the highest levels, so an opportunity to play Saskatchewan and have a bit of success like we did tonight is an important step for our team."

"We can't blow it out of proportion. We need to come in tomorrow with the same focus we had tonight and be ready to find another level."

Where they sit:
The Cascades record improves to 14-5 this season with the win, while the Huskies fall to 16-3 on the year.

The teams will face off again on Saturday at the UFV Athletic Centre, with the Cascades looking to move into a top-four position in Canada West to earn a home playoff game. Tip off is scheduled for 5pm, with the matchup shown live on Canada West TV, and Telus Optik TV channel 1997.