Kelowna, BC – Miah Schuurman completed the comeback for the UFV Cascades, as she scored the final eight points for her team, and conference scoring leader Julia Tuchscherer added 27 points to secure the 66-65 win over the UBC Okanagan Heat on Saturday in Kelowna. The Cascades led for just 3.8 seconds during the course of the regular season finale as they came away with the victory. 

The win sees UFV improve to 9-11 on the season, while UBCO falls to 10-10. 

How it Happened:
After a slow start saw the Cascades fall behind 18-4 in the first quarter, UFV climbed all the way back, powered by eight straight points from Julia Tuchscherer and a Jada Paquin bucket pulled the team back within one late in the second quarter. 

UBCO would end the half on a run and open up a 10-point lead once again in the third quarter, and their advantage was eight going into the fourth. 

UFV kept battling and, after three Miah Schuurman layups in the late stages of the quarter, they found themselves trailing by just a single point with one minute left on the clock. The teams would trade scoreless possessions, but with 3.8 seconds left on the clock Schuurman was fouled while driving the lane to send her to the line. The second-year was composed under pressure, nailing both free throws to give the Cascades their first lead of the game, and the win.

Notable:
Julia Tuchscherer finishes the season as the conference's leading scorer at 17.0 points per game, while also finishing second in Canada West and posting a new program single-season record for blocks with 49. 

Miah Schuurman went 10 for 10 from the charity stripe, ending just one short of the program record for free throws without a miss.

Julia Tuchscherer led the Cascades with 27 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks on the night, while Schuurman added a career-high 20 points to go with six rebounds and three steals.

UBCO's Lilly Pink and Kanami Coon each had 16 points on the night, while Sydney Lewis had 10.

Quotable:
UFV head coach Al Tuchscherer

"We called a time out and just kind of settled [the team] down, and just brought it home. It was it was kind of fun to see. Maya, two clutch free throws to go to tie it and take the lead, it was probably your best game of the season. We challenged her a little bit at halftime, and she really responded, so it was good. I think that's the type of player she could be for us."

"[Julia Tuchscherer] was pretty good last night, and tonight she was outstanding with 27. I'm really happy for her. She's obviously been a big part of our success for the last four years, and this year's been a little bit of a challenge, but she's just kept on plugging away. She was obviously the focal point of most teams' defensive strategies, so we saw all sorts of different schemes on her this year and she just battled through it. For her to average 17 points a game is pretty special."  - Al Tuchscherer on Julia Tuchscherer leading the conference in scoring.

"She's always been a complete player. In those teams that were final four teams and going to nationals, she was always kind of the piece that grounded us really at both ends. You're always counting on her to do the right thing, offensively and defensively. So, it's been kind of cool just to see that you know, with a little bit of a different team, a little a younger team, she could kind of step up and just try and get the job done. I think she's proven herself to be one of the better players in the history of our program. So that's kind of fun." – Al Tuchscherer on Julia Tuchscherer's play at both ends of the court.

Up next:
With the playoff picture now set, the Cascades will be travelling to Saskatchewan to face off against the Mount Royal Cougars with the winner moving on to face the Saskatchewan Huskies. 

Dates and times will be released by Canada West in the coming days. Stay tuned to Gocascades.ca or follow the Cascades at @ufvcascades on social media to stay up to date.