Basketball win Big V Championship
24 August 2009; Rod Warnecke

Melbourne University Basketball Club won the Big V Division 2 Men’s Championship at the Sports Centre yesterday after a hard-fought win over Horsham. However, while it was all smiles for the men, the women’s team went down in their third-game Championship decider against the Whittlesea City Pacers.

After going through the regular season undefeated, the men’s team had to overcome a determined Hornets outfit in the best-of-three Championship series. And after their first loss of the season in Game One of the Championship at Horsham last weekend, the job was certainly ahead of the Black Angels.

Bouncing back, as good teams do, the boys outclassed Horsham in Game Two at the Sports Centre on Saturday night 86 - 72, with Engineering student Nicholas Masunda top-scoring with 22 points and Thomas Bicknell pulling in an incredible 25 rebounds to go with his 15 points. With the Championship up for grabs, the Black Angels started well in Game Three to lead 24 – 18 at the first break. But Horsham, spurred on by their large contingent of supporters who travelled to Melbourne, fought back to lead 41 – 39 at the half. The ebb and flow of the game continued in the third as University stormed back lead 64 – 58 at three-quarter time.

In a nail-biting final period, where the Black Angels got out to a lead of ten points before the dogged Hornets levelled the score with only minutes to play, the home team managed to settle their nerves and hold on for an 84 – 80 win to secure the Division Two Championship.

Nicholas Masunda again led all scorers with 25 points, while Physiotherapy student Thomas Bicknell had 23 points and 16 boards. Alumna and Captain Scott Cuffe had 19 points and a game-high four assists. Bicknell was named the Championship Series MVP.

Head Coach Andrew Walker, who coached the team while lying on a massage table placed court-side after fracturing vertebrae in a domestic game last month, was ecstatic with the win.

“Bring on Division One” declared Walker, after congratulating the Horsham team on their fine series and paying tribute to his team for an outstanding season.

After scraping into the women’s Division Two final’s series, the Melbourne University team did the unthinkable and defeated the top-of-the-table Warrnambool on their home court in Game Two and Three of the semi-finals. Warrnambool had lost just one game for the regular season. Simone Steele top-scored with 28 points and Caitlin Delahunty had 19 rebounds in the 56 – 55 Game Three thriller.

The Championship series didn’t start well against Whittlesea with the girls losing Game One 60 – 72 at the Sports Centre. But in Game Two on Saturday night, the girls played the defensive game of the season to beat the Pacers 56 – 43 and tie the series at Mill Park. Simone Steele had a game high 16 points while alumna Kemperley Dynon had 15 rebounds. Physiotherapy graduate Claire Pownell had 10 points and four assists to go with a broken thumb sustained in one of her many tussles with the “physical’ Whittlesea guards.

Unfortunately, Game Three didn’t go to script for University and the girls were outplayed and out-muscled by the Pacers, going down 75 – 55. Simone Steele again led all scorers with 25 points and a gallant Claire Pownell battled through with her injured thumb and a suspected concussion late in the game.

With a Championship and a Runners-up pennant for the Club in season 2009, the Melbourne University Basketball Club was one of only three Big V clubs to have both its men’s and women’s team reach their respective Grand-finals. Focus now turns to the upcoming Australian University Games on the Gold Coast (27 September – 2 October) where the Melbourne University women will be hoping to better their bronze medal from 2008, while the men look to conquer their quarter-final hoodoo from the last three Games.

The Men's Melbourne University Black Angels Basketball Club celebrate their Championship.

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For further information, contact:
Rod Warnecke, Sport Development Manager
Mob: 0403 199 700
Fax: +613 8344 5583
Email: rod.warnecke@unimelb.edu.au