Photo Credit – Adelaide University
3-Minute Read
Women
The Waatu Women took on the defending champions UTAS and despite a few key players it still remained as is always the case in the league a danger game early in the New Balance UBL Season. The Waatu prevailed 99-41 having several runs of wreckage as all their players got amongst the action.
UTAS kept pace with the Waatu early 8-6 with Terran Wright (Communications) dialled in early with some huge makes late in the term capped by a Sasha Hardin buzzer beater mechanically engineered to perfection 20-11 at the first change.
Caitlin Shillabeer (Phyisotherapy) took her impact forward as she led the Waatu along with Hardin to an 18-4 run to break the game open 38-15. Lauren Mills tried to keep the UTAS girls in it but Zahlia Niemann was proving to be a tough opponent with her and Ella Turnbull helping the Waatu with their ten triples to a 49-20 lead at the half.
Shillabeer and Niemann continued the damage in the third term helping the Waatu to a 12-0 run broken by Poppy Walker’s triple from UTAS 61-25. Niemann kept the scoreboard ticking over as the home side continued to pinch points with frequency 75-32 at the final change.
Able to complete the dominant four quarter effort – the Waatu took out their second win of the season with Hardin and Niemann shining out for the girls in their minutes on the floor
Niemann finished strong late and was consistent across her time on the floor with 19 points and four rebounds but wasn’t alone with Hardin collecting 17 points, five assists and four steals while Shillabeer still accumulated 19 points, fours assists, three rebounds with four other Waatu scoring seven or more.
Men
At almost full strength the Waatu and UTAS played out an absolute UBL classic which came right down to the wire – with last year’s champions stealing the chalice of contest right at the death with a thrilling 71-72 win at Pridham Hall.
Both teams set the tone early but the rise of Phoenix Robey continued to show him as one to watch this season in the league with some strong play to open the contest 2-9. It took some getting down to business low post work from Matt Thomson to get the scoreboard rolling for the Waatu but UTAS were just too slick and strong early with Scott Freer burning the much needed timeout down 6-14.
Momentum completely flipped for the home side out of the timeout as they chipped away through Isaac Hampel (Electrical Engineering) and Ayual Garang 16-23 at the quarter time break.
Hampel took on the defence like he’d done the previous week against UTAS – his play opening lanes for Garang and Thomson levelling things up. The back and forward kept things intriguing between the sides with Jordan Straatsma and Robey pushing the margin back out to UTAS favour 33-36 at the break.
Garang became the pivotal player in the third helping push the home side back to the lead by a considerable margin 48-39 however UTAS fired back through some hot shooting all of sudden lit up from Jaxsyn Collins to steal the lead back 49-50. A cameo from Jack Roberts impacted for the Waatu before he went down with a knee injury saw the home side back in front 59-56 with one to play.
The last term was an enthralling piece of basketball theatre with blow for blow traded back and forward as the teachers of UTAS put on a basketball final lesson of the day but first had to overcome the building nature of Garang as the architectural design student orchestrated points down the stretch. After missing a majority of his shots for the day – the x-factor for UTAS in Zach Collins hit the big shot down the final minutes of the game to get UTAS back within a point with a last plays ahead. Both teams made uncharacteristic pressure passups as the margin for error became thinner.
It was Robey who made the play stealing the ball off the inbound from Garang releasing a last second contested finish from Alex Bestwick snatching the lead back with the and1. With both teams taking tactical timeouts from Anthony Stewart and Freer Bestwick missed his free throw with the Waatu having one last look at it. Hampel got through the defence enough to make an attempt but it rimmed long and despite a Malang Deng tip in going in – the make was after the clock had expired as the defending champions escaped with a telling win on the road with the teachers in training ending the lesson for the day.
Garang was the standout for the Waatu again against UTAS with 29 points, five rebounds and three steals while Thomson looked continuously threatening with 16 points, 17 rebounds (five offensive) and three assists.
The Waatu Women and Men next take on USYD today in a rematch of their 2024 and 2025 finals – Wednesday 26 August
Women – AU Waatu 99 (Shillabeer, Niemann 19, Hardin 17, C Hunter, Whitton 9, Wright 8, Turnbull 7) defeated UTAS 41 (Brooks 13, Mills 9, Mills, Nyhouse, P Walker 8)
Men – AU Waatu 71 (Garang 29, Thomson 16, M Deng 9) defeated by UTAS 72 (Robey 25, J Collins, Straatsma 12, Bestwick 10)
Catch all the action against USYD from this Wednesday 26 August on the UBL website and stay tuned to the crossoverdribble for match reports and features throughout the season.
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