Basketball teams slip to disappointing home defeats

The BUCS basketball games on Wednesday 16 October saw disappointing losses for both the men’s and women’s first teams, as they slipped to defeats against Staffordshire (78-68) and University of East Anglia (42-21) respectively.

For the men, the Staffordshire forwards proved too strong for Warwick’s guard-heavy team and despite promising runs the Warwick team was unable to capitalize in the block nor contain the opposition’s points in the paint.

After a neck-and-neck first quarter, the second period saw Staffordshire establish an 11-point lead, with coach Gerald Chifamba forced to call crucial timeouts in a desperate attempt to stall their opponents’ momentum. Inexperience and lack of communication saw Warwick punished defensively, with the visitors closing the half 17 points in front.

The second half told a different story, however, as Warwick rallied to claw back the deficit, utilising three-point specialists Sam Sin and Stefan Filipovic to shake Staffordshire’s zone defence.

The third quarter saw Staffordshire’s key players in foul trouble, and taking advantage of this, Warwick reduced the lead to ten points. In the final quarter the home team looked to seize the momentum, closing the Staffordshire lead to a nail biting two points with only six minutes of play left.

Sadly however, Warwick’s lack of composure in the final minutes saw poorly-conceded baskets, turnovers and fouls that the more experienced Staffordshire squad were ready to take advantage of.
There were promising signs for the home squad, and a number of encouraging moments to reflect the burgeoning talent of the young and newly-formed team. Inexperience let the side down this time, however.

In the women’s game, East Anglia raced to an early lead behind an effective guard-big combo. With big three-pointers from the away team’s guards, the Warwick women struggled on the perimeter to close out on the quick release sharp-shooters. In the paint East Anglia’s number 14 wreaked havoc on the boards, pulling offensive rebounds and out-letting to guards for rebound opportunities.

Warwick women started well, finding open looks through good ball rotation. Claire Woods made shot after shot on the low block and Sabine Chassagne sliced through gaps in the defence to shoot high-arching floaters over the opposition.

Down the stretch however, Warwick’s offense dried up and East Anglia were able to slowly extend their lead, continuously netting long two-pointers and free-throws.

Warwick rotated the bench well and, like the men, can be optimistic about their new team. They can certainly take lessons from the recently demoted and thoroughly experienced East Anglia women’s team.