Trinity College 72-79 UCD Marian: UCD claimed victory in this year’s Basketball Colours with an effective win over Trinity College, reports Killian Woods

UCD Marian took on Trinity College last Friday evening at the Trinity Sports centre in a thrilling encounter which saw UCD originally build up an early lead, only for their rivals to come roaring back late on.

The first quarter of the game saw UCD Marian establish a healthy 16-point lead over their opponents. Both sides exchange points in the first five minutes of the game, however, impressive scores from Matt Kelly and Daniel James’s six-point haul set them apart from their opponents.

Ending the first quarter with 26 points to Trinity’s 10, UCD were very much in control of the game and used this comfortable platform to maintain their lead throughout the second quarter. Conor James was one of UCD’s standout performers in this quarter as his 12-point haul in this quarter alone was the difference between the two sides.

With a 15-point lead at half time, Marian looked likely to go on and claim a comfortable victory. However, they could not have expected a resurgent Trinity to peg them back in the third quarter and heavily reduce UCD’s established lead.  By the end of the third quarter Trinity had managed to cut the gap to just three points, with only UCD’s ability to keep the scoreboard ticking over sustaining a narrow lead.

After building momentum towards the end of the third quarter, Trinity looked set to overhaul UCD’s lead entirely. Their efforts were met with stiff opposition as UCD relentlessly continued to counter-attack, and UCD further extended their lead before the end of the game through Daniel James, Paddy Young and Conor James. Marian saw out the game with a long period of possession to secure them the Colours bragging rights.

Overall it was an impressive performance from UCD Marian. Brothers Conor and Daniel James were standout performers for their side throughout scoring 25 and 15 points respectively.

UCD Marian: Mike Higgins, Conor James, Daniel James, Paddy Young, Matt Kelly, Donal O’Sullivan, Dave Guilmartin, Cathal O’Brien, Barry O’Connor, John Young, Conor Gordon