Eoin Colquhoun, Pronghorn Athletics
LETHBRIDGE – After dropping their first conference games of the season a week ago, the Lethbridge Pronghorns rebounded on home court to beat the Fraser Valley Cascades, 75-56.
With the win the Pronghorns improve to 9-2 on the season, while the Cascades fall to 4-7.
"Tonight was a nice win against a talented Cascades team," said Pronghorn head coach Dave Adams. "We found our rebounding again, which really helped us offensively."
"I really liked our half-court defence against strong post play from UFV. We know the Cascades are experienced, well coached, and hungry so we anticipate a battle tomorrow night."
Guard Kacie Bosch led the Pronghorns in the win with 19 points to go along with 8 rebounds, four steals and two assists. Fellow guard Zoe Dahl had a good night as well with 18 points, seven boards and four assists.
For the Cascades, Shayna Litman picked up 17 points in the loss, while former Pronghorn Sara Simovic chipped in with 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Taylor Claggett also had 11 points and was the only other Fraser Valley player to hit double digits.
A late surge in the opening quarter by the Pronghorns pushed the home side ahead at the first break. With the game sitting at 13-11, the Pronghorns closed with a 7-0 run to lead 20-11. The momentum continued to roll into the second with Pronghorns going up by 14 points, only to see the Cascades reel them back in before half time and trail by only five, 34-29.
Through the opening 20 minutes, the Cascades shot the ball better than the Pronghorns, hitting on 37.9% compared to 30.8% but the Pronghorns attempted 10 more shots than the visitors thanks to 12 first half offensive rebounds.
Defensively, the Pronghorns were able to shut the Cascades in the third quarter, holding them to only 10 points and building their lead back to double digits and never looked back.
On the night, the major contributing factor to the Pronghorns win was their ability to win the battle on the glass. The Pronghorns outrebounded Fraser Valley 47 to 31, including an impressive 20 offensive rebounds.
The shooting percentages virtually even with the Fraser Valley finishing the night shooting 36.5% from the field, hitting on 27.8% from behind the arc. The Pronghorns hit on 36% but attempted 23 more shots than Fraser Valley.
The Pronghorns and Cascades will conclude the first semester of conference play tomorrow night at the 1st Choice Savings Centre, tip-off is slated for 5pm.