Box Score Friday night in Abbotsford, the UNBC Timberwolves  earned a hard-fought 68-63 victory over the host UFV Cascades . Viktoriia Filatova was the story of the night for the visitors, pouring in a game-high 25 points to lead UNBC to their first win of the weekend. Julia Tuchscherer led the way for the Cascades, battling inside all night, while Fania Taylor provided a spark from the perimeter.
The game was a defensive battle from the opening tip. Claire Huang opened the scoring for UNBC, but UFV's Tuchscherer and Kyanna Knodel helped the hosts build an early 17-14 lead after one quarter. The Timberwolves fought back in the second, led by Hazel Phillips, who scored 10 points in the first half, including a crucial 3-pointer. The teams traded blows throughout the quarter, with Aurora Cabrera and Sophia Fuller finding the range for UNBC. A driving layup by Filatova in the dying seconds of the half sent the teams into the locker rooms deadlocked at 34-34.
The third quarter belonged to Filatova. The UNBC guard came out of the break on fire, scoring on a layup, finding Amrit Manak for a bucket, and then converting a tough "and-one" play. Filatova was a force on both ends, adding a steal and a layup to give UNBC a 47-41 cushion. Lorenn Caceres chipped in with a jumper, and Aurora Cabrera battled for boards and points at the line. Despite a push from UFV's Fania Taylor and Bernie Leda, UNBC took a 53-48 lead into the final frame.
The Cascades refused to go away in the fourth. Miah Schuurman and Taylor led a UFV surge, chipping away at the lead until two free throws from Taylor tied the game at 59-59 with 3:21 remaining.
With the game on the line, UNBC turned to their hot hand. Viktoriia Filatova drilled a massive 3-pointer off a feed from Claire Huang to break the tie, putting UNBC up 62-59. Moments later, she connected on another jump shot again assisted by Huang to restore a three-point lead.
From there, the Timberwolves had it easy. Aurora Cabrera and Claire Huang both calmly sank pairs of free throws in the final minute to seal the 68-63 victory.
The Timberwolves will look to complete the weekend sweep tomorrow when they face the Cascades again at 4:00 PM.