CALGARY, AB – The University of Fraser Valley Cascades women's basketball team defeated the MRU Cougars 70-49 Saturday evening at Kenyon Court. The Cougars' loss is their 10th in a row, moving their record to 6-12. However, their playoff hopes are still alive and the team will look to regroup next weekend when they visit the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack. UFV improves to 15-3 to sit in fourth place in the conference, just back of Calgary based on RPI. 

UFV picked up right where they left off from Friday's contest, scoring the first 13 points in Saturday's rematch, before Mount Royal finally got a board with a three from Nora Luca. After the slow start, the Cougars strung together a flurry of offence, forcing Fraser Valley to call a timeout. 

The Cascades kept up their high-pace offence and suffocating defence, leading by 10 after the first quarter. Nikki Cabuco went 2-for-3 from deep and accounted for eight of the Cascades first quarter points.

The second quarter saw the effort Mount Royal had been looking for all weekend. In her final home game as a Cougar, Julia Summers turned up the heat. The fifth-year was doing it all for MRU, scoring from deep and around the basket. Fellow senior Tanis Metcalfe was also putting in the work for the Cougars, as Mount Royal completely flipped the script in the second quarter, leading by three at one point. 

Fraser Valley was able to recapture their lead, holding a narrow two-point advantage going into the half.

Coming out of halftime, UFV took over. The juggernaut from Abbotsford, B.C. reminded everyone why they are nationally ranked, outscoring the Cougars 16-4 in the third.

In the final quarter, the Cascades kept cruising. UFV guard Maddy Gobeil scored nine of her game-high 17, also recording a total of six assists. Cabuco finished the game with 14 points and three steals, and Deanna Tuchscherer added 12 points, seven assists, and six boards for the Cascades.

Nora Luca led her squad in scoring once again with 12 points, while Metcalfe chipped in 11 and Summers added nine.

The Cascades now return home to close out the regular season against the Trinity Western Spartans next Friday and Saturday at the UFV Athletic Centre.