Kamloops, BC – The USPORTS No. 8 ranked University of the Fraser Valley Cascades started 2024 off hot, as they picked up an 80-36 Victory over the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack on Friday night in Kamloops.

With the win the Cascades move to 8-1 on the season, while the WolfPack drop to 2-5 so far in Canada West action.

The Cascades opened the game on a 19-2 run through 5:32 of the first quarter, thanks in part to six points from Kamloops native Maddy Gobeil, and UFV would take a 20-point advantage into the second frame. The WolfPack found their scoring touch in the second, as Grace Hanson put up a team-high six first half points, but UFV kept pace with Julia Tuchscherer notching 10 in the first two quarters to make it a 47-21 lead going into the break.

Gobeil and the Cascades continued to ramp up the pressure in the second half, outscoring the hosts 33-15 over the final two frames to close out the win.   

UFV dominated below the rim, putting up 52 points in the paint compared to just 14 from TRU. Defensively, takeaways were the story in this one, as the Cascades came away with 26 steals to the WolfPack's 11.

"Our defence set the tone in the first few minutes and put a lot of pressure on their ball carriers," explained UFV head coach Al Tuchscherer. "They ended up turning it over a little bit, and that got us going for sure."

"We want to have a good start, but more importantly we want to be crisp for forty minutes."

Gobeil shined, putting up a game-high 17 points, while adding seven steals and five rebounds. Julia Tuchscherer chipped in 13 points and six boards.

Hanson led the way for the WolfPack with 10 points and three rebounds, while Priyanca Sundher and Tia Rowell added seven points and six points respectively.

The two teams face off once again on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PT in Kamloops. The game can be seen live on Canada West TV.