The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades men’s basketball team played spoilers on Saturday night, preventing UBC Thunderbirds head coach Kevin Hanson’s ascent to the top of the Canada West coaching wins list by toppling the T-Birds 84-82.
Hanson, by virtue of UBC’s 80-63 win over the Cascades on Friday, had moved into a tie with Alberta Golden Bears legend Don Horwood with 313 career regular-season victories, and he was poised to take sole possession of the mark in Saturday’s rematch.
The Cascades, though, had other ideas. Vick Toor scored a game-high 19 points, Daniel Adediran had a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and UFV (4-6) limited the T-Birds (9-3) to 40.5 per cent shooting from the field en route to victory.
A special moment from last night’s big men’s basketball win over UBC... Daniel Adediran brings down the HAMMER 🔨! #putbackdunk #WeClimbWeConquer pic.twitter.com/0khRT6bXkL
— UFV Cascades (@UFVCascades) January 5, 2020
“We’ve been in a lot of basketball games and come out on the wrong side of a few we wish we could have back,” Cascades head coach Adam Friesen said. “We’re hoping this builds momentum for us over the final half of the season.
“We did it together. Definitely a team effort, whether it be the offensive side or the rebounds. The fact that we won the rebounding battle both nights is something that’s, quite frankly, a little bit surprising. But the guys were challenged to show up and compete, and they answered that challenge.”
🏔🏀 MBB FINAL | The Cascades lock down the defence on the final possession and come away with the victory!!! 🎉🔥🎉🔥
— UFV Cascades (@UFVCascades) January 5, 2020
🏔 @goUFV 84
🦅 @ubctbirds 82#WeClimbWeConquer pic.twitter.com/I48R4crblr
SLIDESHOW BY: JOHN MORROW/ABBOTSFORD NEWS
The win comes off an 80-63 setback to the same UBC squad on Friday night.
The Cascades’ top scorers in that game were Kenan Hadzovic (11), Sukhjot Bains (10), and Parm Bains (nine).
The UFV women mirrored the men, narrowly losing 76-74 on Friday but then bouncing back with a big 77-62 win on Saturday.
The Cascades led by as many as 23 points in the first half, then fended off a UBC comeback effort in the third quarter to seal a decisive victory.
UFV (6-4) had a strong effort defensively, limiting the Thunderbirds (8-4) to 29.6 per cent shooting from the field, and rookie Jessica Parker paced the offence with a career-high 19 points.
🏔🏀 WBB | Jessica Parker finishes off the pass from @nikkicabuco1 in transition, the Cascades lead with five minutes to play!#GoCascades pic.twitter.com/pzXVgdqbuE
— UFV Cascades (@UFVCascades) January 5, 2020
“You never know how your team is going to react after a close loss,” Cascades head coach Al Tuchscherer said after Saturday’s win. “You just hope they’re going to come back with a more determined effort, and they did tonight. It was fantastic to see that they came out even more hungry. We got UBC on their heels a little bit, and that carried on throughout the rest of the game.”
Parker sparked the Cascades’ transition attack, shooting 7-of-12 from the field and adding six rebounds and four steals.
Forwards Taylor Claggett (16 points, nine rebounds, five assists) and Deanna Tuchscherer (15 points, 11 rebounds) also had big nights, Maddy Gobeil finished with 12 points, and defensive stopper Amanda Thompson posted a game-high +19 plus/minus rating.
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Both the men’s and women’s teams now head to Prince George for games against the UNBC Timberwolves on Friday and Saturday.
The next home game for both teams occurs on Jan. 18, when the TWU Spartans come to town.
