Cascades Media. The sixth-ranked nationally UFV Cascades women’s basketball team dominated the UBC Thunderbirds tonight to take the second game of the doubleheader by a score of 71-43. The win evens both teams’ records at 7 wins and three losses, and once again places them in a tie for first in the Pacific Division.
After another fast start, the Cascades put together a 27 point second quarter built around a 22 point run, and entered halftime ahead by a score of 45-17. Unlike during Friday’s game, the Thunderbirds were unable to shift the momentum into their favour, shooting an abysmal 13 percent from the field, and eight percent (1-12) from beyond the three through 20 minutes. By comparison, UFV shot a blazing 50 percent from the field, 43 percent from the three (3-7), and 90 percent from the line (10-11) during the same period. UFV’s transition game had the Thunderbirds running ragged, and the Cascades stretched their lead when UBC star Kris Young ran into foul trouble in the middle of the second quarter.
The Thunderbirds trailed by thirty points throughout the third, but came alive in the fourth to score their first double-digit quarter with 17 points. UBC was led by guard Jaime Hill with 10 points, and Harleen Sidhu with 8 points and 8 rebounds. The Cascades were led by forward Sarah Wierks, with 22 points and 13 rebounds, as well as a 16 point game from Nataliia Gavryliuk.
“For the second night in a row our defence was strong,” said Cascades head coach Al Tuchscherer, “but tonight we were able to hit some shots early and gain some confidence. We had a number of women tonight that really responded to last night’s tough loss, which shows us something about our team.”
The Cascades won’t take the court again until after the break, when they will face Winnipeg on January 10 in Manitoba.
The UFV women’s basketball team dropped from No. 6 to No. 7 this week following their weekend split with the UBC Thunderbirds. The men remain unranked.
Here are the full CIS Top Ten rankings released on Tuesday:
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
(regular season record) / votes (first-place votes) / (previous rankings)
1. Saint Mary’s (8-0) / 496 points (34) / (1)
2. Windsor (9-1) / 470 (8) / (2)
3. Alberta (8-2) / 418 / (3)
4. Saskatchewan (9-1) / 377 / (4)
5. Regina (8-2) / 336 / (5)
6. McGill (4-0) / 289 / (7)
7. Fraser Valley (7-3) / 244 / (6)
8. Concordia (2-2) / 187 / (9)
9. Wilfrid Laurier (9-1) / 160 / (10)
10. Ottawa (6-3) / 130 / (8)
Other teams receiving votes: Western (114), UBC (27).
MEN’S BASKETBALL
(regular season record) / votes (first-place votes) / (previous rankings)
1. Carleton (9-0) / 528 points (44) / (1)
2. Ottawa (8-1) / 460 / (2)
3. Alberta (9-1) / 454 / (4)
4. Ryerson (8-1) / 378 / (5)
5. Victoria (9-1) / 377 / (3)
6. McGill (4-0) / 305 / (6)
7. Saskatchewan (9-1) / 269 / (7)
8. McMaster (7-3) / 207 / (10)
9. UNB (6-1) / 145 / (NR)
10. Windsor (6-4) / 138 / (8)Other teams receiving votes: Saint Mary’s (75), Laurentian (72).