Dan Kinvig, UFV Athletics
ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades got off to a scorching start, but the Calgary Dinos weathered the storm and rallied for an 81-56 victory in Canada West women's basketball action on Friday evening at the Envision Financial Athletic Centre.
The Cascades led 22-15 at the end of the first quarter, but the U SPORTS No. 7 Dinos clawed their way back to lead 35-29 at the break, and took advantage of UFV foul trouble in the fourth quarter to stretch out the final margin.
The Cascades (10-7) and Dinos (14-3) clash again on Saturday (5 p.m., CanadaWest.tv) at the Envision Financial Athletic Centre.
"It wasn't one thing – I'd say the personality just came back to the team," Calgary head coach Damian Jennings said. "I think you saw it in the third and the fourth. We played on the front foot in transition a little bit more, and made Fraser Valley have to play a little bit back on their heels as far as the pace of the game. It opened up a few shots for us.
"There was a contribution from everyone at some point tonight. That's pretty much who we are. I think Fraser Valley adopt a very similar style – there's not anyone they don't trust to go out and play. But I do think we wore them down, and there's no doubt that the foul count in the fourth impacted things."
The host Cascades led by as many as nine in the first quarter, with Taylor Claggett (six points) and Amanda Thompson (five points) leading the way offensively.
But the Dinos dominated the second, outscoring UFV 20-7 in the frame, with Courtney Donaldson coming off the bench to score five points to spark the surge.
Calgary stretched the lead to double digits in the third quarter, but the Cascades hung tough and cut the deficit to six points (57-51) with six and a half minutes left in regulation after Thompson and Jessica Zawada hit triples on consecutive possessions.
The Dinos, though, responded with a 14-0 run, capped by a Michaela Nieuwenhuizen layup, to seize control. The Cascades were hampered by foul trouble during that stretch, and saw their starting backcourt of Kate Head and Victoria Jacobse foul out of the game.
"I thought Calgary's pressure really wore us down tonight," Cascades head coach Al Tuchscherer said. "We lost our focus on what we were trying to do. When you're frustrated by how physical the other team is playing, you're not thinking about the right things. You're not thinking about what your job is, which leads to a lot of team breakdowns.
"We're going to have to play tougher (on Saturday), and that doesn't mean fouling harder. That means blocking people out, communicating, and defending."
Erin McIntosh scored a game-high 21 points for the Dinos, and Nieuwenhuizen (11) and Donaldson (10) also scored in double digits.
Claggett paced the Cascades with 15 points and seven boards, Thompson scored 12, and Jacobse finished with seven points and five rebounds.
The Dinos decisively won the battle of the boards by a 52-32 count.