ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – Taylor Claggett and Deanna Tuchscherer showed the vast potential of their combined chemistry on Friday evening, leading the University of the Fraser Valley women's basketball team to a 69-58 victory over the Lethbridge Pronghorns at the Envision Financial Athletic Centre.
 
Senior Claggett and rookie Tuchscherer tied for game-high honours with 21 points apiece, and Tuchscherer added 10 rebounds for her first career double-double as the Cascades (3-2) snapped the Pronghorns' (5-2) five-game win streak.
 
As much as Claggett and Tuchscherer dominated the paint, the scary thing is that UFV head coach Al Tuchscherer (Deanna's dad) believes his team is still just scratching the surface in terms of its offensive ability.
 
"Offensively I don't think we're even close," he said. "We had a nice run in the second quarter that was kind of the difference in the game. But beyond that, we had a few too many turnovers, and the ball didn't flow how we'd like it to flow tonight.
 
"But Taylor and Deanna are starting to develop a little bit of chemistry and an ability to play off of each other. It was good to see them both have solid nights tonight."
 
The Cascades built a 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, then pulled away late in the second, piecing together a 9-0 run highlighted by five points from Amanda Thompson to go up 38-24.
 
They maintained that double-digit lead for nearly the entire second half, and a flurry of triples midway through the fourth quarter – one from Maddy Gobeil, two from Nikki Cabuco – sealed the result.
 
"I thought we had moments that were great, but I just don't think we strung enough on those moments together," Lethbridge coach Dave Waknuk summarized. "Tomorrow's going to be about going back to being more consistent in our effort and our energy during the game.
 
"When you play Fraser Valley, you always have to deal with their physicality and intensity. I thought they were ready to play and came out very aggressive. Their start set the tone for the rest of the game, and we never really recovered. Dealing with physicality like that with a short bench wore us down a bit."
 
Thompson finished with eight points while serving as the primary defender on Lethbridge standout Kacie Bosch, and Jessica Parker notched a team-high six assists.
 
Bosch scored a team-best 14 points from the Pronghorns, and Jessica Haenni scored 10.
 
The Pronghorns will get another shot at the Cascades tomorrow night, tip-off in Abbotsford is slated for 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Catch all the action on www.canadawest.tv, presented by Co-op.

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