The UFV Cascades men’s and women’s basketball teams finished the 2016 calendar with wins in Brandon on Saturday.
Cascades forward Kayli Sartori delivered from the free throw line, scoring the game’s final four points from the charity stripe to give UFV the 68-66 win.
Sartori scored 29 points and grabbed eight rebounds on Saturday, and earned the Canada West second star of the week for her efforts. UFV also had big games from Sydney Williams (12 points and eight rebounds) and Taylor Claggett (11 points and nine rebounds) in the win.
The performance was a bounce back for the team after falling 75-62 on Friday to Brandon. Women’s head coach Al Tuchscherer said Sartori was asked to step up and she did.
“I think Kayli was not happy with her performance last night,” he said. “We really challenged her to be better tonight – we need her to be better, and she was. You could see she was focused all afternoon, and she made big plays. You saw her full skill set on display.”
The women’s record now sits at five wins and three losses heading into the winter break. They rank seventh in the Canada West.
The men also closed off 2016 on a high note, with a 76-65 win over Brandon on Saturday.
Manny Dulay led the Cascades with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists. UFV also got an efficient performance from Andrew Morris, who picked up 16 points off the bench in just 19 minutes on the court.
The win for the men comes off a 101-84 loss to Brandon on Friday. Men’s head coach Adam Friesen said he liked the way his team responded on Saturday after a bad defensive performance on Friday.
“They missed a few shots they were hitting yesterday, but we also did a good job of not letting them get into a rhythm and feeling confident,” he said of Saturday’s effort.
“We kept our turnovers low (13 to Brandon’s 20), and we did a nice job on the defensive glass.”
Friesen said it was the perfect way to head into the break for his team.
“We’ve been struggling, and the guys, to their credit, have really worked, stuck together, kept grinding and figured out a way to have some success,” Friesen said. “I’m glad they were able to get a win heading into the Christmas break.”
The men’s team record is now three wins and five losses, and they are in 12th place in the Canada West.
Both teams are now off until Jan. 6, when they host the MacEwan Griffins.
