Women’s –
Our women’s team were eager to bounce back after their loss in Sydney last week, but it wasn’t to be, this time flying to Newcastle, only to fall short in the dying minutes.
Neither team wasted any time getting on the board, both being aggressive to the basket. While it wasn’t an overly physical game, the referees were calling fouls early and sending players to the free-throw line. The University of Melbourne (UOM) were slow to find their rhythm, but by the end of the first quarter, they were knocking down threes.
Layla Prince was back this game, and she contributed some good minutes, her strength down low proved to be an asset on offence.
The University of Newcastle (UON) were getting majority of their scores off drives to the basket, but as the game progressed, the Winged Victory changed their defensive strategy. Opting for a half-court trap meant that there was more pressure applied on the ball, and their opposition started to rush their offence, leading to inconsistency.
Meanwhile, at the other end, UON had changed to a zone defence, a foolish move in hindsight. Not only did the Winged Victory find ways to pick it apart inside, but Ruby Nicks (17pts) also caught fire from outside and was punishing them with three-pointers.
Charlotte Cougle (38pts, 14rebs) dominated for UON, slicing her way through the key and finishing athletically at the rim. She was critical down the line for her team and was a big part of their comeback.
It was a back-and-forth game, a total of 18 lead changes, but when it came down to it, UOM found themselves down and wishing they could take the final few minutes back.
Men’s –
Similarly to the women’s game, this game is one that the men’s team will be happy to forget.
After what started as a close encounter, soon became a disaster. The first sign of trouble was the early foul trouble our star big, Kai Garnaut got himself in. Fouls became a theme of the game, the University of Melbourne finishing with 21 fouls overall, compared to the University of Newcastle’s 11.
The likes of Josh McNally (14pts) and Lachie Maddern (27pts) were able to hit some threes, but the home side’s defence was strong, and they capitalised down the other end. Where we found it hard to score, they found the bottom of the net with ease. Jude Jennings finished with 38 points on 54% shooting, followed by Alex Bailed (27pts).
It didn’t help UOM’s case that they couldn’t look after the ball, committing 23 turnovers for the game. Soon enough, it was out of our control, UON were rolling and despite the Winged Victory not giving up, they just couldn’t claw back the score. Stretching out from 20, to 30 and then 40, UOM just couldn’t hit shots at the same consistency as their opponents. In the end it was a game they would rather not relive.