Trinity’s men’s basketball team narrowly edged out a 73-71 victory against Technological University Dublin (TUD) last night in a back-and-forth game that ended in thrilling fashion in the Sports Hall.
Playing in their first home match of the new National Basketball College Committee Division 2 campaign, Trinity were eager to prove they belonged in the competition after earning the promotion last season.
As the game got underway, TUD centre Farouq Raheem made life difficult for Trinity’s defence in the paint early on. Trinity quickly found themselves in a hole, down 13-5.
In the final few minutes of the first quarter, however, Trinity began to look sharper. Sam Walsh, playing the point for Trinity, found space coming off a screen and drove through the gap to lay it in for the score. The hosts continued to chip away, bringing the deficit down to two points.
In the second quarter Raheem was back on to guard Walsh. Picking off from where he left off, the TUD centre carried the load, snatching every offensive rebound and racking up baskets effortlessly. Trinity resorted to fouling, but his free-throw shooting was just as clinical as his scores from play.
Trinity captain Robbie Fidgeon Kavanagh came alive for his team as momentum was shifting away. He made a pump fake before dribbling through to land a one-handed floater. Kavanagh went on to score his next two three-point attempts to give Trinity their first lead of the game.
Trinity made frequent trips to the free-throw line as TUD became careless in defence. Trinity failed to fully capitalise on TUD’s indiscipline, and held a narrow one point lead heading into the third quarter.
The second half began with both teams going back and forth. Momentum shifted when Michael Caity put his body on the line to draw the charge discounting a dunk by Raheem and winning Trinity the ball.
From there, Trinity began to take control of the tie. Kavanagh nailed his patent floater off a pump fake, before Walsh drilled a long range three pointer. Trinity extended their lead to seven points by the time the quarter closed, with many of TUD’s key players being removed from the match due to indiscipline.
As the fourth quarter began, Raheem was back on with a fierce intensity, determined to pull his side back into the match. Trinity looked tense and nervous, forcing shots and missing badly. Raheem knocked in close range shots to see Trinity’s lead dwindle. After a missed three by Kavanagh, TUD pushed the ball up to Conor Gilligan, who made a lay-up to tie the game at 61 apiece.
Trinity’s performance was beginning to crumble: turnovers and impatient fouls were costing them points. After falling behind by four, Coach Luke Rock called a much-needed timeout.
This helped quell TUD’s momentum – Rock fired up his players to get them back into gear. Louis Siebenaler scored on a fast break lay-up and Anton Komke hit a clutch three pointer to bring Trinity to within one point.
With around two minutes left, disaster stuck for TUD – Raheem committed a foul on Siebenaler which he protested to the referee. The referee then charged him with another technical foul, which saw Raheem dismissed from the game for commiting a total of five infringements.
In the final 90 seconds, Trinity were clinging to a one-point lead. However, TUD got their noses ahead when Gilligan was left open near the basket for an easy two points.
With less than 30 seconds to play, Trinity had one last chance to win the game. Trinity moved the ball quickly before Crowley drove through the lane, two defenders collapsing on him in the process. Crowley passed to Kavanagh, free underneath the basket, for three points while TUD tried desperately to block down. The three-point play was converted, making the score 73-71 to Trinity.
With just 12 seconds left, Trinity closed out the tie with stellar some defensive work. The bench stormed onto the court as the team celebrate the thrilling last-gasp victory.
After an away defeat to Dundalk IT last week, this victory sets Trinity up for the new college season. Now they will look ahead to a clash with TUD’s Tallaght outfit in a week’s time.
