March 9th, 2026
Trinity Sports Centre
Final Score: Trinity College 64-38 UL
Half-time: Trinity College 32-17 UL
Top scorers Trinity: A.Moley Stoltz 22, F.Treiliha 13, C.Mulligan 10, A.Learn 10
Top Scorers UL: S.Edwards Murphy 13, C.Gaffney 8, B.Dolard 7
Trinity Basketball’s Women’s Varsity team squared off against a strong UL squad at the Trinity Sports Centre in the NBCC Women’s D1 League semifinal.
Coming into the game with an undefeated 7-0 record during the group phase, Trinity were the clear favourites. A fiery pre-game talk from Coach Sean Mulligan helped to motivate the girls as TCD started the game with high intensity. A deep corner two-pointer from Avelina Moley Stoltz and an acrobatic and-1 finish from Captain Ciara Mulligan opened up the scoring for Trinity. Then, Franciska Treiliha hit from 3-point range as the South Dublin side quicky jumped out to an 8-2 lead. The duo of Ríona Grealy and Ava Learn were huge early on for TCD, fighting for every loose ball and setting the tone on the defensive side. Trinity’s high intensity put UL under huge pressure as the Limerick side struggled to get clean shots off and turned the ball over multiple times, with Trinity punishing their mistakes with numerous fastbreak finishes. After the first quarter, TCD held a dominant 22-4 lead.
Trinity’s momentum continued through the start of the second quarter. Treiliha found a cutting Ciara Mulligan in a perfectly executed inbound play as the fifth-year veteran converted with a fundamental bank shot from the wing to extend TCD’s lead to 20 points. However, UL wouldn’t go down without a fight. Led by their veteran and star player Sadhbh Edwards Murphy, Limerick began to score from the outside as TCD’s lead slowly began to be cut down. Within a few minutes, Trinity’s lead was cut to just 13 points. TCD responded through their speedy backcourt duo of Treiliha and Moley Stoltz. Using their quick pace and agility, the experienced duo blew by their defenders to finish at the rim multiple times to keep Trinity ahead by double digits. At halftime, Trinity College led by 15.
The third quarter was the Avelina Moley Stoltz show. UL struggled to keep up with Moley Stoltz’s speed as the American guard leaked out numerous times for easy fastbreak finishes. This was then followed by an impressive and-1 finish through a hard foul and a 3-pointer as Moley Stoltz finished with an incredible 12 points in the quarter. Despite this, UL was able to slow down TCD towards the end of the quarter after a switch to a 2-3 zone defense. Some baskets from Murphy and Coffey kept Limerick in the game heading into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter began with a 3-pointer from Chloe Van Bourgondien which set the tone for the remainder of the game. Learn continued to dominate on defense and the rebounds, as her vast height and athleticism proved a difficult task for UL to slow down. Her efforts were rewarded, as the American post scored from inside the paint several times in the quarter, including a superbly executed pick and roll with Treiliha. UL struggled to keep up with Trinity’s intensity and speed as Limerick began to show fatigue. Aimée Flynn’s top-of-the key 3-pointer and Aoife Quinn Nealon’s midrange jumper put the final touches on a convincing win for Trinity.
Trinity Basketball’s Women’s Varsity team have now advanced to their third consecutive D1 League Final. The turnaround is quick for the final. Trinity will take the floor tomorrow morning against Griffith College in the NBCC Women’s D1 League final. Tip-off is at 11am in the National Basketball Arena, Tallaght.
Quarter Scores:
Q1: 22-4 Q2: 10-13
Q3: 14-13 Q4: 18-8
Game Scores:
Q1: 22-4 Q2: 32-17
Q3: 46-30 Q4: 64-38
Trinity College: #5 Aoife Quinn Nealon, #7 Rebecca Schmidt, #8 Avelina Moley Stoltz, #9 Riona Grealy, #11 Ciara Mulligan, #13 Franciska Treiliha, #14 Ava Learn, #15 Aimée Flynn, #18 Aoibhin Dunne, #20 Chloe Van Bourgondien
Head Coach: Sean Mulligan
UL: #4 T.O’Reilly, #6 A.Sweeney, #7 N.Collins, #8 C.Coffey, #9 A.Jordan, #11. S.Edwards Murphy, #12 C.Loughrey, #13 G.Lucid, #14 B.Dolard
Head Coach: Jordan Hehir
