Final Score: Trinity College 75-70 DCU
Half-time: Trinity College 41- 25 DCU
Top scorers Trinity: S.Rex 17, D.Conway 17, C.Tiernan 14
Top Scorers DCU: D.Sheridan 20, S.Badejo 15, D.Theocharis 11
Trinity Basketball’s Men’s Varsity team faced off against a strong DCU squad in the Trinity Sports Centre on Thursday, February 12th. With both teams coming into the game sitting at the lower end of the NBCC D1 Northern Conference standings, the stakes were high as both squads looked to secure the final spot in April’s Varsity A tournament.
Trinity showed huge fight and desire to the game, opening with an 8-0 run, a lead they would never relinquish all game despite huge pressure from DCU. Trinity Sports Scholar Cian Tiernan set the tone early for TCD, using his vast experience and length to get to the basket multiple times for crafty finishes. Trinity’s halfcourt defence was stellar early on, with Eric Brandt, Daniel Conway and Samuel Rex applying incredible on-ball pressure, forcing DCU into taking difficult shots. Defence turned to offence as TCD wasted no time pushing the ball up the court rapidly to score on the fast break, with the South Dublin college jumping out to a 20-point lead.
After a difficult first quarter, including five total minutes without a basket, DCU’s offence began to click as the second quarter began. Samuel Badejo’s incredible athleticism proved to be a huge problem for TCD’s defence. A switch to a zone defence from DCU resulted in Trinity settling for 3-pointers, which killed their momentum from the first quarter. The introduction of Calvin Medidas, Daniel O’Toole and Kaiwen Yang into the game brought some spark back to Trinity’s side. Yang and Medidas battled hard on the offence boards, providing Trinity with much-needed second possessions, while Trinity’s captain Daniel O’Toole made use of his strength to power his way to the basket for some pivotal scores to halt DCU’s momentum. The home side led by 16 at halftime.
It seemed that the momentum would remain in Trinity’s side when Samuel Rex found a wide-open Daniel Conway for a 3-pointer to start the second half. Then Eric Brandt made an incredible hustle play to save a loose ball which sparked a fast break that Rex capitalised on. However, Michael Curley’s men would not go down without a fight. Led by the hot-shooting and super crafty point guard Daniel Sheridan, the North Dublin side came storming back into the game, forcing Coach Aran Lee into taking a timeout. Trinity responded through Thomas McCourt, as TCD’s left-handed sniper knocked down two consecutive 3-pointers to help steady the ship. Some great inside presence from Cian Tiernan and Liam Smyth helped tame DCU’s offence slightly. Yet despite this, Trinity entered the fourth quarter with only a four-point lead.
The fourth quarter was an incredibly intense affair, with both teams giving it their all. Calvin Medidas put in a phenomenal shift on the defence side of the court, picking up the hot-shooting Sheridan full court and applying smothering on-ball pressure. However, Sheridan would not be fazed, as he used silky ball handling to separate himself from his defender, rising up for a smooth mid-range jump shot. Scores from Dmitrios Theocharis and Misan Fyne resulted in DCU tying up the score with just four minutes left in the game, completing a sublime comeback. Then, Samuel Rex proceeded to work his magic, getting to his spot in the middle of the paint and finishing with a floater. When things got scrappy and nerves began to show in the final few minutes, it was Daniel Conway who stepped up for Trinity College. Playing in his first varsity game of the season after dealing with multiple injuries, the fourth-year veteran guard took over in the clutch for TCD, scoring three consecutive baskets at the rim, including his signature elegant floater in the lane. Clutch free-throws from Tiernan and McCourt sealed the deal for Trinity, as the Men’s Varsity escaped with a five-point win.
The Men’s Varsity team will now turn their attention to the annual Intervarsity tournament in Limerick at the start of April.
Quarter Scores:
Q1: 27-7 Q2: 14-18
Q3: 15-27 Q4: 19-18
Game Scores:
Q1: 27-7 Q2: 41-25
Q3: 56-52 Q4: 75-70
Trinity College Basketball Club: #4 Samuel Rex, #5 Daniel Jambon Conway, #6 Calvin Medidas, #7 Diego Bodas Gallego, #8 Thomas McCourt, #9 Luke Opalack, #10 Cian Tiernan, #11 Daniel O’Toole, #12 Eric Brandt, #13 John Brennan, #14 Liam Smyth, #15 Kaiwen Yang
Head Coach: Aran Lee
DCU: #1 Daniel Sheridan, #2 Franek Chmielecki, #4 Fionn O’Driscoll, #5 Michael O’Connor, #7 Rhys Stoneman, #10 Jack Rawdon, #11 Conor Sherry, #12 Dimitrios Theocharis, #13 Sam Badejo, #14 Misan Fyne, #15 Adam Tynan, #16 John Broderick
Head Coach: Michael Curley
