Dan Kinvig, UFV Athletics
ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – A series of big plays at crunch time lifted the Trinity Western Spartans past the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades in Canada West women's basketball action on Friday.
For a span of nearly four minutes in the fourth quarter, just a single point separated the two local rivals. But TWU's Sarah Buckingham hit a huge corner triple with 1:43 left in regulation to give the Spartans a four-point cushion, and they fended off the hosts to claim a 57-51 victory at the Envision Financial Athletic Centre.
The Cascades (10-9) and Spartans (11-8) wrap up the home-and-home set on Saturday evening at the Langley Events Centre (5 p.m., CanadaWest.tv).
"It could have gone either way for either team," TWU head coach Cheryl Jean-Paul said, reflecting on the razor-thin margin for error down the stretch. "We've had some heartbreakers this semester, and I think we're starting to learn from our experience instead of repeating the same patterns.
"We tried to make sure our core group was a little bit fresher going into that fourth quarter, and we were able to get some key subs in to make sure they were ready to make good decisions. We've been caught with that in the past, where they were just so fatigued that they couldn't make those key plays – they just wanted to get the ball out of their hands. I thought that we did a much better job of managing our roster . . . that equals to better shot selection, better finishes, better defensive rotations, and better rebounds."
After a flurry of early scoring, the two teams' defences settled in and dominated the rest of the proceedings. Few personal fouls were whistled (just 13 for UFV, 10 for TWU), but the Cascades and Spartans both soundly executed their game plans at the defensive end. TWU led 16-11 at the end of the first quarter, with UFV closing the gap to 26-25 at the break.
The Spartans pieced together an 8-0 run midway through the third quarter, capped by Tessa Ratzlaff's and-one layup, to take a 41-32 lead. But UFV clawed their way back into it slowly but surely, grabbing a 48-47 lead with 3:47 left in regulation.
The Cascades' offence went quiet at that point, though. A jumper by TWU's Kianna Wiens restored the Spartans' lead, and Buckingham's corner three gave them some breathing room.
"It's nice to see the team create the right shots for the right people, and clearly that's the person we want," Jean-Paul said of Buckingham.
Cascades head coach Al Tuchscherer noted that while his team had a solid defensive performance, limiting the Spartans to 38.6 per cent shooting from the field, their offensive struggles were costly. UFV hit just 31.3 per cent from the field, including 6-of-25 from downtown.
"Too many breakdowns tonight at crucial points of the game," he analyzed. "We pulled within one several times (in the fourth quarter), but could never really seem to get over the hump. Then when we finally did, we couldn't get crucial stops. Frustrating game . . . 51 points isn't going to cut it."
Claggett finished with a team-best 17 points for the Cascades, Kate Head scored eight, and Amanda Thompson pulled down nine rebounds.
Ratzlaff paced the Spartans with 18 points, and Wiens (11) and Buckingham (10) also scored in double figures.