Natalie Rathler played just 10 minutes on Saturday (Jan. 20), but the fifth-year forward made those minutes count.
With the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades women’s basketball team up 53-51 on the Alberta Pandas with 38 seconds left, Rathler received a perfect in-bound pass from Maddy Gobeil, made a shot in the paint and drew a foul.
Massive and 1 from Natalie Rathler puts the Cascades up 56-51 with 12 seconds left pic.twitter.com/kjfVqzjJrU
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) January 21, 2024
She then made the free throw shot and the Cascades hung on for a huge 57-51 win.
“It was exciting to have that finish off the game for us, but everything that happened in the game was a team effort. It was a team win,” Rathler said on the late three-point play to clinch it.
“This game really drove home that we aren’t a team to take lightly. We can compete with the top teams, and we are a top team and that is a mindset we have to continue with moving forward.”
Some frantic action, J. Tuchscherer with a big board and draws a foul. Cascades up 44-41 with 6:36 left in the game pic.twitter.com/fyj44YPVa5
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) January 21, 2024
Physical, playoff-style basketball was on display all evening long, with countless battles for the ball, wars in the paint and vicious play on both ends.
The Cascades opened up a 13-8 lead after one and were up 26-23 at halftime, but the Pandas battled back in the third quarter and led 37-35 heading into the final frame.
.@deannamae462 with a three and one after a nice dish from @maddygobeil. @UFVCascades WBB up 13-8 on @BearsandPandas after one pic.twitter.com/dMn9fcAleQ
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) January 21, 2024
Cascades forward Deanna Tuchscherer was the best player on the court for UFV, dominating down low and leading the team with 17 points. Julia Tuchscherer struggled from the field (1/10), but collected a team-high 14 rebounds, including a remarkable eight offensive boards. Gobeil contributed with 12 points and two steals, while Rathler had seven points and two steals.
Defence was the name of the game on Saturday, with the Cascades shooting 29.1 per cent and the Pandas at just 28.3. Points were hard to come by and the teams combined for 48 turnovers. The Cascades got 17 points off those turnovers, compared to 11 for Alberta – which was a big factor in the win.
Alberta leads 37-35 after three. This game is PHYSICAL, as seen below pic.twitter.com/bQcixdG4H1
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) January 21, 2024
Saturday’s win comes off of a 63-57 win for the Pandas in Abbotsford on Friday (Jan. 19).
A 10-0 run to start the fourth quarter spelled disaster for the Cascades. They led 29-24 at halftime, but the Pandas caught fire in the second half and UFV couldn’t stop the momentum.
D. Tuchscherer scored team-high 14 points, with J. Tuchscherer adding 13 points and 11 rebounds. Gobeil had 10 points, five assists and two steals. Alberta’s Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma had a game-high 19 points.
The teams combined for 47 turnovers on Friday, with the Cascades committing 27. Alberta had 25 points from those turnovers compared to just 16 for the UFV.
The Cascades record now stands at 11-3 and they sit in fourth in Canada West. Alberta is 10-4 and they rank sixth. There’s a possibility that these two teams could meet again when UFV hosts the Canada West women’s basketball championships next month.
Meanwhile for the UFV men’s basketball team it was a disappointing weekend, with the Cascades dropping both games to the Alberta Golden Bears.
Friday saw the Golden Bears go on a 16-4 run in the first quarter and they never surrendered that lead, posting an 89-72 win.
Alberta shot 49.3 per cent from the field and were led by Isaac Simon and Adam Paige, who scored 22 and 20 points respectively. The Cascades were led by Dylan Kinley, who had 14 points and eight rebounds.
Saturday was a similar story, as the Golden Bears went on a 13-4 run in the first and again never trailed in an 84-73 win.
Alberta shot 49.1 per cent from the field and Paige led the way for them with 26 points. UFV’s Kinley had a great game with 29 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals but it wasn’t enough.
The men’s record now falls to 4-10 and they sit in 13th place in CW. The Cascades need to string some wins together if they hope to make the playoffs, as the top-12 teams qualify.
The teams remain home this weekend to host the Brandon Bobcats on Friday (Jan. 26) and Saturday (Jan. 27). For more, visit gocascades.ca.