Fed Uni were no match for the Winged Victory.
Men’s game:
Our Men’s team headed to Ballarat full of confidence and with a playing group to back it, key players Wilson Amos (18pts, 6rebs, 4ast), Alek Bandilovski (7pts, 6ast, 4stl) and Dihan Wiggett (15pts, 10rebs, 5ast, 4stl) in attendance. It was exciting to see Matthew McCarthy (19pts, 10rebs, 5ast, 4stl) in the lineup for the first time, although it wasn’t they the standard of game he was expecting….
Despite Federation University (Fed Uni) only having six players, they were able to keep the contest close for the first quarter, they weren’t put off from two giant dunks, one by McCarthy and another by Wiggett. Midway through the second quarter, however, Melbourne University took over and levelled up their game. What was only an eight-point deficit quickly turned into 22 at half-time.
They call the third quarter the Championship quarter, but it was a nightmare for the home side, only scoring nine points, while the away team added another 39 points to their tally, completely blowing the game out. The Winged Victory doubled their first quarter score in both the second, third and fourth quarter, taking out the win by a whopping 70 points – the University’s highest ever score and winning margin – not to mention the equal second-highest margin in UBL history.
The team’s defensive pressure in their full court press, their speed and athleticism in transition, and every playing being able to have an impact on the scoreboard all contributed to the big win. It was a defeated Fed Uni team, but Captain, Lachlan Drummond gave it his all, finishing with 20 points. They remain on the bottom of the ladder, whereas Melbourne University still sit on top. It’s scary to imagine the scoreline if Kai Garnaut and Josh McNally had suited up….
Women’s game:
While the Women’s team didn’t go up to Ballarat with the same level of confidence, they had some extra motivation. Sitting at second last with only one win to their name, it was a must win for them to have a chance at creeping into finals. It was great to see Meera Coburn (11pts, 10rebs, 2ast) back in the lineup, she was a solid force inside – showing her fancy footwork on offence and cleaning up the glass on defence.
While it wasn’t as dominant performance as the men’s game, the women came to play and didn’t leave anything to chance. Shooting with confidence and tearing apart Fed Uni’s zone, the unselfish ball movement was exciting to watch and meant that every player was involved and treated as a threat. Viktoria Crump (14pts, 6rebs) had the hot hand, nailing three from deep. But she wasn’t alone, Ruby Nicks (10pts, 4rebs, 3ast), Gemma Watson (10pts, 4stl), and Layla prince (26 points, 7rebs, 6ast) each had a couple of threes to their name. Prince was particularly dominant, pushing the ball on the fast break, confidently taking step back threes and being a workhorse to win the ball for her team.
Much like their Men’s team, the Fed Uni Women only had seven players themselves, which turned into six when Captain, Millie Cracknell (5pts, 6rebs, 7ast, 4stl) went down with an injury. Annie Collins (28pts, 6rebs, 4ast, 3stl) was the primary force, but she could not compete with the determined Winged Victory. The visiting side were able to win by a solid 29 points, putting them in the top eight and with at chance of playing UBL finals.