The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades women’s basketball team was two and done at the U Sports Women’s Basketball Final 8 last week in Edmonton.
UFV’s first appearance at the Nationals since 2014 saw the club enter the event ranked seventh and they opened with a 75-58 loss to the second-seeded Carlteon Ravens on Thursday (March 7).
The Cascades trailed just 37-31 at halftime, but a 12-2 run in the third quarter buried the Cascades hopes.
UFV got 15 points and 13 rebounds from forward Julia Tuchscherer and 15 points from Maddy Gobeil in the loss. Carleton’s Kali Pocrnic led all players with 25 points and nailed five of seven three-point shots.
That loss moved the Cascades into the consolation bracket to take on Halifax’s Saint Mary’s Huskies on Friday (March 8), but they fell 69-42.
The Cascades shot just 26.8 per cent in the game and fell behind 27-12 after one. UFV never got back into the game and they also turned the ball over 34 times in Friday’s loss.
J. Tuchscherer again led the Cascades with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Saint Mary’s guard Clara Gascoigne led all players with 18 points.
Three-point shooting was a struggle for the Cascades in the two games at Nationals, as they made just six of 33 (18.1 per cent). Turnovers were also costly, with UFV coughing up the ball 56 times in two games.
The good news for the Cascades is that the majority of the team’s top players are all coming back for next season. They were among the youngest teams at Nationals and the experience gained this season could aid them in 2024-25.
The championship game saw the Ravens defeat the Saskatchewan Huskies 70-67 on Sunday (March 10). The Huskies won the Canada West title in Abbotsford last month.