By Cascades Media. The UFV Cascades women’s basketball team (15-5) took the UNBC Timberwolves (4-16) to task for a second consecutive night with an 88-51 road victory. UFV pulled ahead in the first quarter and never let up, building leads that climbed into the mid-thirties during the second half. The Cascades are still tied with UBC for first in the Pacific division, while Victoria has fallen off the pace with a surprise loss to TRU.
Tonight was Senior’s Night at UNBC’s Northern Sport Centre, giving the Timberwolves fifth-year stars, Mercedes VanKoughnett, Emily Kaehn, and Jen Bruce, extra incentive to push for the win. VanKoughnett had 19 points and nine rebounds, Kaehn had 14 points and 12 rebounds, while the recently-returned Bruce had a quieter night with four points and three assists.
The Cascades finished with five players in double-digit scoring, including Aieisha Luyken (18) and Courtney Bartel (12). UFV also benefited from Shayna Litman’s 10 points and nine rebounds in only 16 minutes on the floor as she proved once again that she fills an essential niche on the Cascades roster. Between all the scoring, UFV also managed to pull down a collective 52 rebounds and snatch 19 steals, stuffing the stat-sheet in this runaway win.
Of the twelve Cascades who saw action tonight, ten played more than ten minutes. The Cascades used fresh legs and smart playmaking from the bench to outscore the Timberwolves 21-4 in the third quarter on their way to the win.
“We played a really solid 40 minutes tonight,” said Cascades head coach Al Tuchscherer. “We executed well at both ends of the court, we had some great efforts from the bench, and we didn’t sag mentally at any point during the game. We’ll need to continue this form as we march towards the post-season.”
The Cascades will return to the lower mainland next weekend to face local rivals the TWU Spartans. Catch the action online at canadawest.tv