On Tuesday 14 March, the Carnabys flew to Sydney to jump-start their 2023 UBL season with a face-off against the University of Sydney (USYD).
Women’s
In their first official game of the 2023 UBL season, the Carnabys women’s team went up against USYD, who were the 2022 runners-up in the women’s competition.
The Carnabys displayed a sense of fearlessness when it came to taking the shot but struggled a bit to maintain control of the ball, which unfortunately led to a 30-point loss.
The game was relatively close in the first half thanks to strong moves inside by Ella Averill (#32) who brought the game to a brief draw in the first quarter. Averill has been one of the Carnabys’ dominant players and is also a very skilful shooter, having led the scorecard in the Tuesday women’s game. Another strong player was Shenae Hartree (#30) who averaged 15 rebounds a game in 2022 and was one of the leading scorers in the USYD game.
At half-time, USYD had an 8-point lead which was shaved down to 5 points after Carnabys Captain Sarah Allen (#24) scored a 3-pointer in the 3rd quarter.
As the game progressed, the Carnabys struggled to successfully make their baskets with USYD constantly keeping up their pressure and defence. This resulted in a 16-point margin by the fourth quarter.
While the Carnabys’ last quarter was highlighted by a smooth 3-pointer from Aleka Kabugua (#8) and two points squeezed in by Hartree, the Carnabys missed out on the win. The final score was 74 – 44 (USYD).
Men’s
While the Carnabys men’s team started off hot, they unfortunately dropped off and suffered a 31-point loss.
The Carnabys had a solid first quarter and kept up with last year’s undefeated champions. A number of successful shots were taken by returning Carnabys Tim Hollick (#7) and Tobey Martin (#11), as well as by newcomer Dyson Lowe (#31). However, it was clear that USYD had a strong defence and knew how to keep the pressure up as they blocked some of the Carnabys’ attempted throws. By the end of the first quarter, it was 24 – 14 (USYD).
From the outset, the Carnabys maintained strong possession, with Ali Rammal (#29) and Husam Roamer (#9) keeping up a strong presence. However, the west coast team struggled to execute its plays and capitalise on movement across the court. At half-time, the score was 46 – 24 in favour of USYD.
With 10 minutes left in the game, the Carnabys tried to keep up the pace, ultimately scoring another 16 points. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a high-enough climb to surpass USYD.
The final score was 90 – 59 (USYD).
Despite the loss, the Carnabys had an excellent presence across the court and displayed a lot of scoring potential to hone in on for future games.
