University of the Fraser Valley women’s basketball coach Al Tuchscherer was disappointed with how his team responded in crunch time on Friday, as let a winnable road game slip away against the Saskatchewan Huskies.
Twenty-four hours later, he couldn’t have been more pleased.
The Cascades thrived under pressure on Saturday, grinding out a 68-67 upset victory over the Alberta Pandas, the No. 5-ranked team in the nation. Aieisha Luyken played the hero, hitting one of two free throws with four seconds left to secure the win.
“I thought the game was up for grabs against Saskatchewan, and I didn’t think anybody did anything special to seize the opportunity,” Tuchscherer said, reflecting on the weekend. “We talked about that after the game, and I don’t know if Aieisha took that personally, but she really stepped up in the fourth quarter of the Alberta game. She wasn’t going to let us lose.”
Luyken finished with 11 points and four assists as the Cascades improved to 5-3 heading into the Christmas break.
On Friday, UFV had a 34-30 lead at halftime over the No. 6-ranked Saskatchewan, but the Huskies rallied for a 75-65 win. Luyken led the Cascades with 15 points and four assists in the loss, while Tessa Klassen notched 12 points.
The UFV men had a golden opportunity to earn a signature win of their own, as they built a 20-point lead over the No. 5-ranked Huskies in the second quarter. Saskatchewan battled back, but the Cascades still maintained a five-point lead with less than a minute remaining in the fourth.
But the Huskies got a three-pointer from Jamelle Barrett and two free throws from Michael Lieffers to force overtime, and they took control from there, winning 104-95. Joel Friesen had a big game in defeat, racking up 29 points, including five three-pointers, on 10-of-17 shooting.
The Cascades struggled to bounce back from the devastating loss, as they fell 79-57 the following night to the Alberta Golden Bears. Friesen’s 13 points were a team high for UFV, which fell to 5-3 on the season.
The weekend games were the last of the semester for the Cascades hoopsters. The women will participate in an exhibition tournament at the University of Windsor Dec. 29-31, while the men travel to a tourney in Los Angeles on those same dates.
