Abbotsford, BC…The UFV Cascades women’s basketball team defeat the University of Winnipeg Wesmen, 60-52, after their win over the University of Manitoba Bisons last night at the Envision Athletic Centre. The Cascades advance to 8-0 while the Wesmen drop to 3-5 in Canada West regular season play.
The first quarter set the tone for the night, the veteran Cascades fighting against a determined Wesmen team. Scoring remained relatively even, the Cascades with a one point lead at the end of the first. This was the closest the young Winnipeg team would get to UFV, as the Cascades led by the Wierks sisters kept control. Nicole Wierks, Chilliwack, BC led the half with nine points and four rebounds, while Sarah Wierks, Chilliwack, BC contributed five points and six rebounds. The Cascades were missing two of their key players; however Head Coach Al Tuchscherer saw a great opportunity for the UFV bench to step up. Cascades forward Kaitlyn Brink, Abbotsford, BC, saw her first start in her rookie CIS year. The Arts major has been a strong asset to the team, pulling in two rebounds and landing four points in a close first half to round out the scoring leaders. The Wesmen saw strength in Yael Kaplan, Winnipeg, MB who led her team with six points, and Tia Coulter, Brandon, MB, chipped in five points and five rebounds. Going into the half, UFV led Winnipeg 27-21.
“I’m happy with how the team battled tonight. Playing without a couple of regulars in the line-up, some other players had to step up,” commented Head Coach Tuchscherer, “Winnipeg presents so many challenges with how they play, the personnel they have in their line-up, and the high energy they bring to the court. Tests like this serve us well down the road.”
The third quarter saw Sarah Wierks step up the intensity for UFV, pulling in an additional six rebounds. Offensively the third year forward scored 11 points in this quarter alone, a combination of successful foul shots and points in the paint. Going into the fourth, the Cascades out-scored the Wesmen by nine, the greatest scoring difference of the night. The Wesmen persisted in the final quarter, not wanting to leave without a fight. The game was sealed with less than a minute and a half left in the game when Courtney Bartel, Chilliwack, BC, hit a beauty three-point shot to keep the fire going for the Cascades. The next play saw Nicole Wierks sail down the court unopposed for a successful lay-up. Winnipeg would only score one final foul shot after that. Wesmen Guard Yael Kaplan finished the game with 13 points and teammate Tia Coulter ended with 10. In the final half, Aieisha Luyken, Mission, BC, hit some major three-pointers to end the night with seven points. Courtney Bartel, also saw a seven point night, while Sarah Wierks and Nicole Wierks tie with fourteen points each to lead the Cascades.
“I thought in the second half we really settled down after playing a first half without the rhythm we like to play with,” stated Head Coach Tuchscherer, “We were much more composed and we started to get some better looks at the hoop. I thought our defense was pretty tough for most of the game and that held us in until we could get a bit of an offensive run.”
The Cascades are on the road next week for their final game before the holiday break, the Green Machine take on the Brandon Bobcats on November 30th 2012 at 6:00pm Central Time. Catch the action live on webcast through canadawest.tv.
Courtesy of JM
Scoring:
UFV 16 11 20 13 = 60
UW 15 6 11 20 = 52
Team Rebounds:
UFV: 14+21=35 UW 11+19=30
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