University Basketball League

The University of Melbourne’s Winged Victory men took on undefeated UTS in the grand final, with their Sydney competitors returning to the championship game after a heartbreaking loss to the University of Sydney in 2022. The match started with a tense back and forth, remaining tied through much of the first quarter until a rapid 16 point run on the back of four 3-pointers from Roseby gave the men are narrow lead. Eves and Bennett provided some much-needed hardihood off the bench, helping extend Melbourne’s lead to 17 going into half time. Eves dominated the glass, finishing with a season high 10 rebounds, while Bennett spotlighted his athleticism on the biggest stage of the year, earning a collection of game-changing steals, blocks, and rebounds. Dihan Wiggett stepped up to the challenge when the Winged Victory needed him most, earning Finals MVP honours with an invaluable 15 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists. Despite a resurgence from UTS, fuelled by an energetic local crowd and an impressive shooting performance in the third quarter, it was the original Winged Victory duo of Joel Rimes and Matt Roseby who led the men’s scoring to hold off the opposition, combining for 41 of Melbourne’s 77 points in their 23rd and final UBL game together. Come the final buzzer, the Winged Victory men silenced the Sydney crowd and denied UTS an undefeated season, hoisting the Championship Trophy in their first finals appearance to mark the end of the University’s most successful season to date.

Having secured the number two seed, the men hosted the University of Sydney in their semi-final match up. A completely sold-out Nona Lee Centre was packed with loyal Melbourne fans, all eager to witness Australia’s oldest inter-varsity matchup battle it out for a spot in the gran final. Having fallen to the University of Sydney in the previous two seasons, but not yet having face them in 2023, the Winged Victory men were looking to prove their worth as a bona fide championship contender. Taking control of the game from the jump, the men put on a dunk contest for the Nona Lee crowd, recording 4 slams in the first half alone. Nothing could slow the men down, with Wiggett exploding for 34 points and 4 steals, Rimes recording 25 points of his own along with 4 assists, and Roseby putting up 23 points and 9 rebounds. Kai Garnaut once again proved to be the side’s dark horse, quietly dominating the baskets on both ends to secure 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, and a strong 16 points. Having dazzled the home crowd, the men walked the University of Sydney out of Nona Lee holding a 17-point loss, finishing the game 104-87.

Taking on seventh seed RMIT in the quarter final, the Winged Victory’s Melbourne-metro rivals had made several valuable additions to their roster since Round Two and looked to offer up an exciting battle for a spot in the Final 4. The ever-faithful duo of Rimes and Wiggett again put their offensive wizardry on full display, posting 27 and 26 points respectively while also combining for 13 assists. With Matt Roseby out of action for the game, Kai Garnaut dominated the paint, finishing with an impressive double-double feat of 18 points and 11 rebounds, all while shooting 50% from the field. The men held off a surging RMIT scoring run late in the third to retain the lead from start to finish, earning a semi-final appearance with a 98-82 victory over the Redbacks.

Matching up against the Federation Falcons in the final game of the regular season, the men looked to secure the second seed, needing to earn an 8-1 season record with a convincing margin of victory in their last game to do so. Charlie Cumberlidge, Cooper Eves, and Will Bruhn put together a defensive highlight reel, holding the Falcons to an incredible 8 3P% and forcing 16 turnovers on only 6 assists. Leading the scoring with a massive 32 points, Wiggett left no doubt surrounding the team’s potential for a deep playoff run. Supported by Mateja Mckenzie’s 13 points and 9 rebounds, the men breezed past Federation University and locked down the second seed heading into their first UBL finals appearance.

Arguably their toughest game of the season, the Winged Victory took on a talented University of Tasmania squad in the southern competitors’ first year in the UBL. 29 points from Joel Rimes and a 19-point, 10 rebound outing from Matt Roseby were enough to keep the Winged Victory locked in a close battle for the entire match. But a 40-point performance from Tasmania’s Jack Stanwix and a strong scoring run late in the fourth quarter pushed the opposition over the edge, landing them a 78-90 victory in the first loss of the season for the Winged Victory men.

The men took on an undefeated USC side in the second half of the home double-header, going down to the wire in a tense back and forth competition. Rimes and Wiggett led the Winged Victory’s offensive charge; Rimes finished with 20 points, along with 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Wiggett secured another double-double, bringing down 10 rebounds and landing 2 blocks. Roseby finished with 17 points in only 19 minutes of action, with the trio’s scoring feat pushing the University of Melbourne to a narrow 3-point victory, handing USC their first loss of the season.

Up against 2022’s bronze medal finishers Victoria University, a full-strength men’s side looked to extend their undefeated season with their fifth win. Roseby, Wiggett, and Rimes dominated the scoring, flooding the scoreboard with 20, 19, and 18 points respectively. Garnaut had a double-double of his own, securing 14 points and 10 rebounds himself, with another 10 points coming from Jackson Bennett (Bachelor of Science). The men again proved why they are one of the best teams in the league, controlling the game start to finish and walking away with a 97-62 win.

With Wigget, Bruhn, and Rimes all returning to the roster for Round Five, alongside Michael Harper’s UBL debut, the Winged Victory men looked to replicate the women’s success. Rimes put on an offensive outing, leading the game with 27 points and 6 assists. Benjamin Fewster and Wigget put in 10 points each, with Roseby and McNally each putting up 16 and 13 points of their own. The men took care of the competition with a 98-49 win to move to 4-0 on the season.

With Wiggett still sidelined from an ankle injury in the squad’s UWA Maali match-up, the men looked to Charlie Cumberlidge (Bachelor of Science) and Christian Ignatavicius (Master of Mechanical Engineering) to step up to the challenge against the Curtin University Carnabys. Despite a loud Perth crowd and a short-staffed roster, the men stood up to the challenge. McNally, who would finish the game with 24 points, and Garnaut, who recorded 9 points and 11 rebounds of his own, with were key to the men heading into halftime with a near 20 points led over the Carnabys. But the home team came out with a vengeance, fighting back to create a one possession game late in the fourth quarter. Back-to-back threes from Roseby, who walked away with 27 points and 11 rebounds, with two minutes left in the game gave Melbourne the lead, and a missed game tying three on the buzzer from Curtin University left the men’s undefeated record narrowly intact as they headed back to Melbourne.

The men also travelled to Perth for their first double-header of the season, facing off against a stacked UWA Maali side, led by 2022 UBL MVP Nick Floyd. Missing two key players in Joel Rimes and Will Bruhn (Bachelor of Commerce), the men were up for a stiff challenge. However, the UBL debut of Minglun Li and increased minutes for first year players Christian Ignatavicius (Master of Mechanical Engineering) and Kai Garnaut (Bachelor of Arts) offered exciting potential for the University of Melbourne side. A dominant first half performance from Wigget saw the Winged Victory hold off the Maali’s scoring runs to secure a lead heading into the third quarter; an ankle injury early in the second half saw Wigget sidelined for the game and threatened Melbourne’s slim lead. However, four quick threes from Roseby and an offensive masterclass from Garnaut, who finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists, saw the men walk away with well earnt 93-79 victory.

The Winged Victory men hoped to avenge their 2022 loss to on-court rivals RMIT in their Round Two match up. Behind a roaring Super Sport Wednesday crowd at the Nona Lee Centre, Roseby again led the scoring a 22-point showing, with captain and 2021 UBL MVP Joel Rimes (Doctor of Philosophy) recording 21 of his own. First year player and fan-favourite Dihan Wigget (Bachelor of Commerce) showed his potential with a 17-point, 10 rebound game. The men held off a strong RMIT side to finish the game 97-82 and move to 2-0 on the season.

Our men got off to a similarly strong start as the women in their round one match up against the Adelaide University Watuu. Matt Roseby (Bachelor of Commerce) led the scoring early with 5 three-pointers in the first quarter, finishing the game 7/9 from behind the arc. Mateja Mckenzie (Bachelor of Course) started the season with a 17-point performance, supported by 16 and 15 points from Josh McNally (Bachelor of Science) and Cooper Eves (Bachelor of Science) respectively. The men left Adelaide with a promising 109-61 victory to start the 2023 UBL season.

Facing off against number three seed UTS in the women’s first UBL Finals appearance, the squad was looking to shock the competition with an upset victory. Lana Hollingsworth proved why she’s won of the most feared scorers in the league, putting up 22 points and 12 rebounds on an impressive 53FG%. Supported by both Hamilton’s 18 points and 4 assists and Eloise Leonard’s 10 points and 3 steals, the women held UTS to a mere 60 points, outscoring the intrastate rivals 60-82 to earn a semi-final appearance.

Taking on seventh seed RMIT in the quarter final, the Winged Victory’s Melbourne-metro rivals had made several valuable additions to their roster since Round Two and looked to offer up an exciting battle for a spot in the Final 4. The ever-faithful duo of Rimes and Wiggett again put their offensive wizardry on full display, posting 27 and 26 points respectively while also combining for 13 assists. With Matt Roseby out of action for the game, Kai Garnaut dominated the paint, finishing with an impressive double-double feat of 18 points and 11 rebounds, all while shooting 50% from the field. The men held off a surging RMIT scoring run late in the third to retain the lead from start to finish, earning a semi-final appearance with a 98-82 victory over the Redbacks.

Hollingsworth and Hamilton both returned for the final regular season game of the season, with new addition Lara Essex suiting up for her second game for the Winged Victory. 22 points and 5 steals in a mild 22 minutes of action from Laura Hamilton helped the Winged Victory secure a commanding lead early in the game. Two double-doubles from Hollingsworth, 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Coburn, 12 points and 15 rebounds, added to the University’s dominating performance, which saw a total of 6 players finish with double-digit scoring. The women’s Winged Victory squad ended their season with an eye-popping 52-point win to secure a 6-3 season record and a spot in the finals.

The Winged Victory faced off against the University of Tasmania in Round Seven, another university looking to make an impression in their first year of UBL. With neither Hamilton or Hollingsworth suiting up to take on the University of Tasmania, the University’s women were missing a significant portion of their scoring power heading into the match-up. 20 points and 10 rebounds from Meera Coburn solidified the commerce student as one of the best forwards in the League, while 5 assists from Aimee Wookey and 4 steals from Jess Del Brocco kept the score close for much of the game, but the Tasmanian competitors would go on to hand the University their third loss of the season with a 62-81 final score.

Off the back of a tough match up against VU, the University of Melbourne faced Queensland’s USC, again at the Nona Lee Centre. A monstrous near triple double from Coburn, recording 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 blocks, supported by a two-way showcase from Hamilton with 20 points and 7 steals, left the Winged Victory well-positioned to secure their sixth win. A well-rounded scoring performance from USC however proved too much for Melbourne, pulling away in the fourth quarter to steal the game 67-81.

Returning to the Nona Lee Centre for the second home game of the season, the University of Melbourne faced off against 2022’s third place seed, Victoria University. 18 points from Laura Hamilton led a strong offensive showing, but it was the home side’s defensive prowess that secured the Winged Victory win; 4 blocks from Hamilton with another 3 from Meera Coburn, coupled with 3 steals each from Del Brocco and Hollingsworth, shut down VU’s scoring and held the team to just 27% shooting from the field. The result? A dominant 19-point win to tally the side’s fifth win of the season.

One of two universities entering the League in 2023, ACU hosted the University of Melbourne in the pair’s first UBL match-up. The match saw WNBL player Lana Hollingsworth (Master of Public Health) debut for the Winged Victory, putting up 34 points, 4 steals, and 2 blocks in only 24 minutes of action. Supported by Emma Gregory’s 10 points, who was also debuting for the Winged Victory, and Aimee Wookey’s own 11 rebounds pushed the University to a convincing 43-point win over ACU and secured a 4-1 record heading into the second half of the season.

Boasting a sold-out crowd and an impressive pyro-technic display, the Curtain University Carnabys presented a tough challenge for our women from tip-off. Laura Hamilton and Jess Del Brocco (Bachelor of Biomedicine) led the offence for the University with 16 and 14 points respectively; Del Brocco also recorded 5 steals and 5 assists in the close fought game, but the Carnabys would prove too strong for the Winged Victory on the day, handing the women their first loss of the 2023 season.

Our squads travelled cross-country for Round Three, flying to Perth for a away-game double header. Facing off against the University of Western Australia Maali first, double-double performances from both Ariyel Edwards and Meera Coburn helped secure an early lead for the Winged Victory, with Eloise Leonard’s (Bachelor of Course) own 12 points and 4 steals helping to hold the lead over the Maali to finish the game with a 22-point margin.

Our women faced off against cross-town rivals RMIT in the first home game of the 2023 season. The flagship event of the University’s first ever Super Sport Wednesday, a packed-out Nona Lee offered a huge home-court advantage to our squads, with Red Bull Racing and the Melbourne University Cheer Squad attracting the largest ever UBL crowd for the University.

First-year player Laura Hamilton (Bachelor of Science) showed out with a huge 25-point performance, filling up the stat sheet with a further 4 steals, 4 assists, and 7 rebounds. Meera Coburn tallied another 17 rebounds, helping topple the Redbacks by an impressive 24 points.

With five student-athletes making their UBL debut in Round One, the Winged Victory looked to welcome their new look squad with a win over the University of Adelaide Watuu. Led by 2022 League MVP Evie Lovell, the Watuu posed no easy task, but an impressive 17-point display from team captain Ariyel Edwards (Bachelor of Science), backed up by a 16 rebound performance from rookie Meera Coburn (Bachelor of Commerce), led the Winged Victory to a dominant 30 point win to start the season.