University of East London men’s 1st team lost their chance of a place in the semi-finals of this season’s BUCS Championship after their 71-76 home defeat against Newcastle’s 1st ‘s on Wednesday at SportsDock.
Their first home defeat all season, the loss counts as one of three setbacks in 11 fixtures for the Blues this campaign, and damagingly, it arrived during their final game.
Nonetheless, they have achieved an excellent unbeaten home run in the Premier South league division, securing an impressive second place in the league.
Following the loss, UEL scholar Marcus Patterson was disappointed with the outcome of the match, despite his colleagues’ effort.
“It was definitely a winnable game. I think we played with effort, but down the end stretch we made some mistakes that we couldn’t recover from,” he said, before adding “I’m glad that we stuck together as a team and played hard until the end.”
Crucially, two of UEL’s three defeats came in the last two fixtures of the season, as well as being defeated twice this year in the league away from home by Southampton Solent University 1st‘s, who were crowned the BUCS Basketball champions of the Premier South League this year.
Focused
The game started off close with both teams trading buckets back and forth, though the first and second quarter saw neither side make a notable run. The Northern team was very focused on their target of holding onto the lead until half-time, and they achieved it.
However, it was in the third quarter where the game looked to be over, as the visitors’ defence came up big, whilst their offense flourished on the other end, increasing their point difference.
Into the fourth quarter, the Blues began their probing at a comeback; Marcus Patterson hit his three-point shot 18 seconds before the final buzzer to make it 71-72, keeping the cup dream alive.
The shot served up one of the most emotional moments of the game, as the home crowd roared their team to tie the game, but unfortunately, the away side brushed away the late pressure with four more points, sealing a win and a place in the semi-finals.
As the last fixture of the season, Patterson pointed out the invaluable experience of being UEL scholar.
“My experience with my teammates has been great; they made my basketball experience unforgettable.”
