By Charlie Ball
Featured Image: Ellie Wright
After a controversial ending to a tight game, MMU Basketball held on to the lead and sealed the victory 94-91 against Bournemouth University (BU) team in the National Trophy Quarter-Final.
The BU team included two American college Basketball players Shad Blanton and Antonio (Tone) Hughes and Turkish international Samet Gulek.
MMU made a great start. Evan Walshe, who also plays for the Manchester Giants, dominated throughout the game. His performance was especially strong in the first half, scoring 26 points.
An aggressive defensive approach helped MMU to dominate the proceedings. They were able to manipulate BU into mistakes and force them to take low percentage shots. This effort was also seen in MMU’s rebounding, with them having 20 more rebounds than the BU team.
Another area where MMU were able to capitalise was the free throw shooting. BU only made 50% of their shots from line compared to MMU’s 71%. This meant MMU picked up the extra points that helped them secure the win in a tight game, which ended with the teams separated by just 3 points.
The utilisation of MMU’s bench was a big factor in the second half and was key to their success. The team moved the ball well, getting players into positions to take high percentage shots. MMU didn’t need to rely on the same names to continuously score the points.
There was controversy to end the game, as BU thought they had levelled the score after Shad Blanton had hit a three pointer. However, the referee had blown his whistle for a technical foul for MMU meaning it did not count. After a time-out was called from Bournemouth, with 4 seconds to spare, BU were unable to convert the free throw and missed their last chance to level the game.
MMU now head into the Semi-Finals with hopes of making the final and bringing some much wanted silverware to Platt Lane.
Stream available here on the MMU Sport YouTube channel.
Featured image and gallery: Lucy Elson-Whittaker Sunday may signal the final day of Truck Festival 2026, but there’s still plenty to celebrate before the gates close for another year. From rising indie stars Keyside to the long-awaited return of Rizzle Kicks, festival favourites Circa Waves and headliners The Wombats, these are the performances that define…
Featured image and gallery: Lucy Elson-Whittaker It’s Saturday at Truck Festival 2026 and, somehow, the sunshine is still holding out. The weekend’s biggest day is packed with indie heavyweights as The Vaccines, Kaiser Chiefs and Two Door Cinema Club deliver the soundtrack to a generation. In between the nostalgia, Adult DVD provide the perfect excuse…
Featured image: Lucy Elson-Whittaker After CMAT’s unforgettable set on Thursday, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Truck Festival 2026 had already peaked. But with the weekend only just getting into its stride, there’s still plenty more to come. Friday is packed with a lot of artists worth catching, from The Love Buzz and My First…
Featured image: Press The gates have finally opened for Truck Festival 2026, and for the third-year running, the weather could not be more perfect. Beneath clear blue skies at Hill Farm, Oxfordshire, the iconic Ferris wheel is spinning once again, the Truck Monster is roaming the fields, and thousands of festival-goers waste no time filling…
Leave a reply