Trinity Basketball’s College Varsity teams faced off against TUD in a highly anticipated Double-Header in TUD Tallaght Campus on Wednesday, November 19th.
Women’s Varsity 66-50 TUD
Entering the game missing a few key players, Trinity Women’s Varsity team knew they had to start strong. They set the tone early by attacking TUD’s defence with pace and taking full advantage of their size mismatch inside. TCD showed excellent early ball movement, with multiple possessions featuring selfless extra passes to create high-percentage scoring opportunities. Franciska Treiliha got off to another hot start for Trinity, in what seems to be a recurring trend. The Latvian guard constantly used her agility and craftiness to manoeuvre her way to the basket for some acrobatic finishes, as Trinity began to build a lead quickly. Trinity Sport Scholar Ava Learn was dominant inside the paint for TCD, constantly disrupting TUD’s offence and securing every loose ball. On offence, she embraced an unselfish role by constantly setting solid screens, creating space and delivering perfectly timed handoffs to her teammates. One of those handoffs set up Avelina Moley Stoltz for a wide-open three-pointer, as TCD extended their lead to 13 heading into the second quarter.
Trinity’s constant aggression paid off early in the second quarter, earning them multiple trips to the foul line. Aimée Flynn, Ava Learn and Lisa Blaney all capitalised at the charity stripe, helping TCD push the lead to 18. From there, Trinity began to ease off the pace as energy levels dropped, and some lapses on defence started to creep in. Slowly, TUD clawed its way back into the contest, chipping away at the double-digit lead. They outscored Trinity in the quarter, but TCD still went into halftime ahead, 33-25.
A fantastic half-time speech from Coach Sean Mulligan saw Trinity come out rejuvenated at the start of the third quarter. Energy levels surged back to their early-game intensity, and Trinity immediately regained control. Using their speed, strength and length, they repeatedly attacked the basket, drew fouls and reasserted their dominance on both ends of the floor. Avelina Moley Stoltz delivered a perfectly weighted bounce pass to find a cutting Caoimhe Gilligan for a sweet reverse layup, while Lisa Blaney broke out her signature in-and-out move to shake her defender and finish coast-to-coast as Trinity pushed the lead out to 24 points.
The final quarter saw TUD attempt a late comeback, but Trinity quickly shut down any momentum. Two clutch 3-pointers from Avelina Moley Stoltz effectively sealed the game. Aoibhin Dunne added a smooth jump shot, while Freya Reilly’s relentless hustle paid off as she secured an impressive rebound and finished at the rim. Trinity closed out the game in style, capping off another commanding performance and preserving their undefeated record.
Trinity’s Women’s Varsity team will now face off against Ulster University in Trinity Sports Centre on Tuesday, November 25th at 3pm.
Men’s Varsity 87–90 TUD
It was a back-and-forth affair between TCD and TUD, with both teams going on multiple runs and the lead changing hands several times.
TUD struck first, scoring just 4 seconds after the opening tip, following a quick pass. Trinity responded with a quick 7-0 run, led by Jens Örnehed, the star of the game. The Swedish guard seemed unstoppable all game, dropping a season-high 26 points, including six 3-pointers for TCD. Liam Smyth showcased phenomenal defence early, blocking multiple shots and securing crucial rebounds. However, several sloppy turnovers from Trinity allowed TUD to convert easy baskets, a recurring issue for the team this season. By the end of the first quarter, the game was tied at 20.
Cian Tiernan tried to get things going for Trinity, using his long strides to finish at the basket with his left hand over the outstretched arms of his defenders. Despite his efforts, TUD would go on a huge run, hitting 4 3-pointers and capitalising on offensive rebounds as they jumped out to a double-digit lead. Trinity’s struggles were further aggravated when guard Samuel Rex was injured, forcing him to sit out most of the quarter and limiting his effectiveness for the remainder of the game. Örnehed responded with multiple key shots to keep Trinity in the game. Strong energy from Oscar Farley and Jan Eric Brandt helped to shift momentum back in Trinity’s favour, cutting the deficit to just four points heading into halftime.
A poor start to the second half saw Trinity trailing by double digits once again, wiping out much of the progress they had made. Coach Aran Lee then subbed in Kaiwen Yang, who made a profound impact on the game. The new TCD postgraduate student influenced the game with tenacious defence and pinpoint 3-point shooting, helping Trinity regain momentum. Heading into the 4th quarter, TCD trailed by a single point.
Kaiwen Yang continued to be a problem for TUD’s defence in the final quarter, as he would score 8 out of 16 in the final quarter alone, helping TCD to remain within striking distance. Cian Tiernan played his heart out all quarter. The Trinity Sport Scholar would be fundamental to the squad throughout, contributing with rebounding, assists and defence. Despite scoring a strong 16 points, his full value would not appear in the box score, as he would play the entire game without subbing out once. The rest of the fourth quarter would be a dogfight, with multiple lead changes. A big 3 from Örnehed and a layup from Farley pushed Trinity ahead with a few minutes left on the clock. With less than a minute to go, Samuel Rex came up with an impressive, crafty finish with his left hand to put Trinity ahead by just one point. However, TUD would respond with five consecutive points in crunch time, taking a 4-point lead with less than 30 seconds remaining. A crazy off-balance fadeaway from Tiernan helped cut the lead to just 2, but Jake Mullins would seal the game at the free-throw line, leaving TCD to suffer a heartbreaking loss in the dying moments.
Trinity Men’s Varsity team will return to action on Thursday, February 12th, as they host DCU at 3pm in the Trinity Sports Centre.
