The UNBC Timberwolves battled but came up short against a long and athletic Fraser Valley Cascades women’s basketball team Saturday in Abbotsford.
Julia Tuchscherer was instrumental in nailing down the 73-48 victory, scoring 25 points and 18 rebounds, while Nikki Cabuco hit for 16 points.
Alina Shakirova scored a team-high 22 points for UNBC, backed by an 11-rebound, seven-point effort from fellow Russian Svetlana Boykova.
Trailing 11-2 in the first quarter, the T-wolves found their stride in the final minutes of the quarter. Anastasia Soltes sunk a layup and Shakirova nailed a three-pointer to cut into the deficit to 15-11 after 10 minutes.
In the second quarter, the Cascades continued to cause problems with their size and persistent pressure, while the Timberwolves couldn’t seem to get any open shots to drop. A 13-4 run looked eerily similar to the first quarter, while UNBC struggled to get the engine started offensively. Julia Tuchscherer and Victoria Jacobse used their size advantage to pour on the pressure, and the backcourt combination of Maddy Gobeil and Cabuco showed its dynamic qualities by penetrating for easy buckets.
Shakirova tried to lead a surge the other way, getting to the line on a number of possessions with some nifty footwork, but the first half was tough sledding for the green and gold, as they found themselves down 36-21. Shakirova paced the T-wolves with 12 points and three rebounds in the opening half, while Julia Tuchscherer was UFV’s leader with 13 points and nine boards.
“Playing against a big team, it can be hard to get those boards,” said UNBC guard Sarah Kuklisin. “We only have a couple bigger players. Alina was crashing the boards, but we can’t just have them getting those rebounds. The team needs to box out. UFV has some long girls at all five positions. Even advancing the ball can be tough. We did an OK job defensively, but we need to be more physical and do our job.”
Rookie Julia Tuchscherer continued to have her way in the paint in the third quarter. She made a pair of offensive boards and putbacks early in the frame to extend the Cascades lead, as the advantage got to 20 points. However, Shakirova continued to show why she is one of the savvier players in the conference, making a big three and a tough layup to claw UNBC back into the game.
As the quarter wound down, UFV’s ball movement continued to tire the undersized Timberwolves, but UNBC did well to stay in the game thanks to five late points from freshman Kuklisin. After 30 minutes, the Cascades held a comfortable 53-38 advantage.
In the fourth quarter, with the result all but official, the Timberwolves were able to go to the bench and get some of their freshmen some valuable playing time. Maggie Mowser saw her first career action, as did first-year guard Adaiah Tupas-Singh, against a Cascades team that figures to be in the mix for the U SPORTS Canada West conference championship.
“It is important. We are such a young team and it is good to have everyone contribute in their own way,” said Kuklisin, who had nine points and three steals. “Everyone needs to chip in, and the young players are adjusting so well from the pace of high school. Taylor was doing well, Maggie came in and was assertive. That will all pay off.”
The Cascades improved to 2-0, while UNBC dropped to 1-1. The T-wolves defeated Thompson Rivers University WolfPack 80-71 in their season-opener Friday in Kamloops. They’ll host TRU Friday and Saturday at the Northern Sport Centre.
