A cinderella season for UWS Basketball has seen both sides win their respective leagues and on Wednesday, both sides also took to the floor in the Semi-Finals of the Scottish Cup.
The West Men were on the hunt to defend their National Title and welcomed Heriot Watt to the Lagoon in front of a busy crowd. The West were intense out of the gates, and posted an early double digit lead and never looked back. a 30 point game at half time saw 3 players in double digits and the West kicked on to have almost four 20+ point scorers as Ulpi Garcia led the way with 28 points, and big man Matteo Diagne went off for 19 points and 12 rebounds on 9/9 shooting.
Men’s captain Milo Lockhart said’
The boys played brilliant today, we were able to come out of the gates with energy, something I think we’ve not managed to do recently. The hard work early on made it easier for us as we were able to rotate the bench and keep fresh legs on the floor. We all contributed in a big way. The gameplan was perfect and executed well.
Milo Lockhart, UWS Men’s Captain
53% field goal shooting saw the West put up big numbers as they raced out to a 111-50 win.
Ulpi Garcia; 28 points, 7 rebs, 6 stls, 1 blk, 2 ast, 13-22 shooting
Milo Lockhart: 25 points, 6 rebs, 1 stl, 3 ast, 10-23 shooting
Matteo Diagne: 19 points, 12 rebs, 5 stls, 1 ast, 9-9 shooting
Jack Dewey: 9 points, 9 rebs, 2 stl, 4 ast, 4-9 shooting
Up next, the West Women bundled on a bus from the Lagoon to make the journey up to Fife and to the Saints Sports Arena. Coming into the game as heavy underdogs, the West knew they’d have to put in a hard shift to come away with a result.
St Andrews were stunned and frustrated early on with the West’s hard fought defence and struggled to get points on the board, defence was to be the key in a low scoring affair. 23-21 in the homeside’s favour at half time, UWS was quietly confident they could cause an upset. Brilliant press play from Jonne van Oosterhout and Kayleigh Sellar provided the tempo and the West worked hard to stay in the game.
St Andrews showed their class as they went on a 10-0 run and went 8 points up, their class the very same reason they will be a Division One side next season. But, UWS dug deep and pulled the game back to overcome the odds and walk away with a 66-64 win and a place in the Title game.
Women’s Captain and Club President said,
“I’m so proud of the women’s side making the Conference Cup final. Considering we only created a team last season, it’s an incredible achievement and especially having faced two teams in the division above to do so. We had a tough game against St.Andrews this week but the girls really dug deep and earned our place in the final. This will be our toughest challenge yet, and I’m looking forward to see how it plays out.
I’m delighted that both our squads have made the final this year. Everyone has been training hard and it looks like it’s paying off. The men’s side continue to build upon their success from last season, and it’s great to see the women’s side join them. It’s been a good year for Team UWS Basketball so far, and I hope that we can bring home some wins on cup finals day – exciting times for everyone at the club!
Nicole Davidson
Club Head Coach Johnathan MacLeod commented,
Delighted to have two teams in the Finals this year, we must work hard in training to prepare for two tough games. Our season is not over yet, but what a way it would be to end the season with a double double.
Johnathan MacLeod, UWS Head Coach
UWS Basketball 