This weekend the Cascades headed north to take on the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) in Prince George. Prior to the weekend, UFV’s women’s basketball team held a regular season record of 6-4, with their most recent game having been a win at home against the University of British Columbia (UBC).
During Friday night’s game, some of the Cascades put up some impressive stats. During Taylor Claggett’s 36 minutes of play, she was able to grab 30 points for the Cascades. While Claggett was a force on offence, she also showed her defensive presence by grabbing the most rebounds in the game, with 15. Claggett’s dominance on the court over the weekend helped her break UFV and conference records.
The Cascades began Friday’s game eager to start a winning streak. In the first quarter, the visiting team was able to outscore the UNBC Timberwolves by 13. This resulted in the Cascades starting the second quarter up 23-10. For most of the second, they were able to keep this lead; however, with 1:04 left in the half, UNBC’s Maria Mongomo scored a layup from the key, which gave the Timberwolves their first lead in the game. With little time left in the half, the Cascades and Timberwolves shared possession a few times, which resulted in the teams leaving the first half tied, 42-42.
The next quarter was very similar to the last two. The two teams continued to battle for every possession, but the Cascades were able to head into the fourth with a small lead over their hosts, 62-58. Although the game was close up until the end of the third, the Cascades were able to run away with the win in the last quarter. In the fourth, they outpaced the Timberwolves 17-9.
After winning Friday night’s game, 79-67, the Cascades had less than 24 hours to try and repeat their success. Fortunately for them, they were just able to hold on late in the game. In the first two quarters of play, the Cascades built a lead of 37-24. When the second half started, it looked like they would continue to dominate; however, the second half saw them battling to hold their lead. While the third quarter saw them only get outscored by three, in the fourth the Cascades were outscored 22-16. Luckily for the visitors, UNBC ran out of time, and the Cascades won 75-71.
After finding two wins over the weekend, the Cascades now have a record of 8-4. This means that UFV’s women’s basketball team sits in fifth place, out of 17, in the Canada West standings. Currently, the Cascades are only four wins away from first place, but UFV only has eight more games in the regular season.
The Cascades will hopefully continue their winning streak next weekend, when they take on the Trinity Western Spartans. Next Thursday, Jan. 16, the Cascades will be hosted by the Spartans in Langley, while Saturday, Jan. 18, they will face off in Abbotsford, at the Envision Financial Athletic Centre. The games will be held at 6 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.
Image: UFV Athletics
Photo: UFV Women’s Basketball Team
