The University of the Fraser Valley men's and women's basketball teams took some body blows in Vancouver over the weekend, dropping all four games to the UBC Thunderbirds on Friday (Jan. 17) and Saturday (Jan. 18).
The women's games featured the top two teams in Canada West's Pacific Division, but Friday saw the Cascades fail to produce offensively in the second half.
UFV trailed 29-28 at halftime and then managed just 10 points total in the third and fourth quarter to fall 69-38.
The Cascades went ice cold in the second half, making just three of 29 shots attempted. UFV finished at 23.6 per cent shooting from the field in the game.
Turnovers were also costly on Friday, with UFV committing 39. Forward Esther Allison led the team with 11 points and nine rebounds. Julia Tuchscherer recorded five blocks and she is now the team's all-time leader in that category.
WBB | Final from Vancouver. pic.twitter.com/5z96m5tGxy
— UFV Cascades (@UFVCascades) January 18, 2025
Saturday was the complete opposite, as the Cascades fell behind 24-9 in the first quarter and were unable to close the gap in an 88-69 loss.
Allison had an excellent game with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Maddy Gobeil added 13 points and nine boards. The Thunderbirds shot an impressive 54 per cent from the field to earn the win.
Cascades head coach Al Tuchscherer said that Saturday was a better effort for his team.
"I thought we competed much better today than we did yesterday, and thought we were much more focused," he stated. "We found solutions to some of the things they were trying, and I just thought the girls battled really hard today."
The women drop to 9-5 on the season with the pair of losses and remain in second place in the division.
Meanwhile, a 26-10 second quarter sunk the UFV men's team on Friday and they dropped a 100-70 game to UBC.
UBC shot 46.2 per cent from the field and 55.6 per cent from beyond the arc in the win. Turnovers were an issue for the Cascades, as they committed 21 which led to 25 points for the opposition.
Ismael Hernandez led UFV with 15 points to go with five rebounds.
MBB | Ismael Hernandez pulls three back for the Cascades late. pic.twitter.com/uzHxp5tQH4
— UFV Cascades (@UFVCascades) January 18, 2025
Saturday saw the Cascades fall 93-88 in a double overtime heart breaker.
Dario Lopez recorded a team-high 26 points and 14 rebounds for UFV, while Takeshi Croke added 11 points, six assists and five steals.
"At the end of the game it felt a little bit like our season was over there, but it's just starting now," said UFV coach Joe Enevoldson. "They saw what happened when we played up to our capabilities and our potential. Now we have to win a couple of games here down the stretch to ensure we make the playoffs."
MBB | Clay Kurtz gets that one to fall, and we’re heading to 2OT. pic.twitter.com/1GuD3zf6NW
— UFV Cascades (@UFVCascades) January 19, 2025
The pair of losses drop the men to a record of 5-9 and they currently occupy the fifth and final playoff spot in the Pacific Division. They will have to stave off the UBCO Heat (4-8) to maintain that spot.
The men and women return to Abbotsford for games against the MacEwan Griffins on Friday (Jan. 24) and Saturday (Jan. 25). For more information, visit gocascades.ca.