The University of the Fraser Valley women’s basketball team outlasted the Lethbridge Pronghorns in a physical slugfest Saturday night, grinding out a 59-52 victory to wrap up a weekend sweep.
Coming off a 69-58 win on Friday, the Cascades turned in a strong defensive effort, holding Lethbridge to 30.8 per cent shooting from the field while forcing 29 turnovers.
For the second straight night, UFV (4-2) got great production from their forwards as Mission’s Taylor Claggett notched 17 points to go with 10 rebounds and Chilliwack’s Deanna Tuchscherer scored 14.
“We had to win a game in a little different style tonight,” said UFV head coach Al Tuchscherer. “Lethbridge came out and were pretty assertive right from the beginning. The game was close throughout, and I thought we showed a lot of composure down the stretch to get a really solid win.”
Lethbridge drew to within two points with less than three minutes remaining Jessica Haenni drained a jumper.
But UFV responded with a clutch floater from Maddy Gobeil, a Claggett free throw, and a strong move to the bucket from Tuchscherer to restore a seven-point advantage and seal the result.
The Cascades wrap up their first-semester schedule on the road next weekend, as they visit the Manitoba Bisons for a Friday-Saturday set.