The University of the Fraser Valley women’s basketball team began the preseason in spectacular fashion, sweeping a pair of games against NCAA opponents this week.
On Monday afternoon, the Cascades staged a fourth-quarter rally to top the Ball State Cardinals 60-57. Then on Tuesday evening, they raced out to a huge early lead against the Schreiner University Mountaineers en route to a 76-47 blowout win.
Ball State is an NCAA Div. I program, while Schreiner plays at the Div. III level.
The victories marked the first time the Cascades women had swept a two-game series against NCAA teams, and the Ball State win was their first against a Div. 1 squad in five years.
The Cardinals opened up a six-point lead midway through the fourth quarter on Monday, but UFV went on a 12-3 run to end the game, with Courtney Bartel hitting a clutch three-pointer in the final minute to give the Cascades the lead.
UFV centre Sarah Wierks scored a game-high 15 points, while Nicole Wierks and Bartel posted 12 points apiece. Brandy Woody and Jasmin Hitchens, with 14 points each, were the top scorers for Ball State.
Against the Mountaineers, the Cascades dominated from the outset, building a 23-3 lead in the first quarter. They cruised from there, crushing Schreiner in the rebounding department 45-28. Aieisha Luyken (17 points), Kayli Sartori (11 points) and Sarah Wierks (10 points, nine rebounds) led the way, while Lindsey Peterson paced the Mountaineers with 14 points.
SOCCER WOMEN WARM UP IN OREGON
The UFV women’s soccer team posted a win and two losses on a five-day exhibition trip through the state of Oregon.
Last Wednesday, they opened the jaunt with a 2-1 loss to NCAA Div. 1 program Portland State, with Sunayna Samra scoring the lone Cascades goal off a corner from Donna Pinning.
UFV evened its record with a 1-0 win over Corban University, an NAIA squad, thanks to Danika Snook’s header off a pass from Tori Thomas.
The Cascades wrapped up the trip with a 2-0 loss to the Concordia Cavaliers, NAIA national finalists last year. UFV played Concordia to a stalemate for 80-plus minutes, but the Cavaliers got two late goals.
