University of Edinburgh                    60
Glasgow Caledonian University       85

Edinburgh University’s men’s basketball team were defeated in their latest match against Glasgow Caledonian University.  A glance at the two teams in the pre-game warm up revealed that the Glasgow team carried a huge physical presence against a relatively diminutive Edinburgh side.

Indeed the away team started the match with a rangy and imposing unit and the height advantage began to tell early on in the game.  Glasgow came out of the huddle aggressively and two strong moves to the basket signalled their intent and awarded them an early 4-0 lead.  However, signs of an early surge from Glasgow were nullified by Edinburgh as Horton drove forcefully to the hoop and finished well each time to level the match after a sluggish Edinburgh start.

However, it was the visitors who again threatened to open up a significant lead as the Glasgow forwards got into good positions in the key and knocked down open shots.  It was clear from the outset that this was to be a battle of the fast break against the half-court set with Glasgow employing the latter to good effect.  Donnelly, in particular, the lofty but skilful guard for the guests, caused Edinburgh problems on defence and it was he who was the catalyst for a 13-4 Glasgow run towards the end of the first quarter.  Edinburgh on the other hand struggled to find space in a congested Glasgow key, resulting in poor shooting.  The first quarter ended with the visitors on top 24-11.

However, the second quarter commenced with Edinburgh adopting a more intense style of play, forcing errors from the Glasgow ball handler.  The resulting turnovers meant Edinburgh could run fast breaks and mount an assault on the sizeable deficit.  Several neat moves involving de Weeps and Vudiken for the hosts allowed for unchallenged lay-ups which eroded the lead further.  Furthermore, slick ball movement created an opening for de Weeps to drain a shot from beyond the stripe, sparking excitement on the home bench.

However, as the fightback gathered steam Glasgow’s talented guard, Donnelly, connected with several tough jump shots to cut short Edinburgh’s run and regain the momentum.  Admittedly, before the Glasgow recovery Vudiken for Edinburgh had two three-point shots that seemed destined to hit nothing but net rattle off the iron and the loose balls were gobbled up by ravenous defensive forwards.  The lead was up to 19 by half-time, mainly down to the sharpshooting of Donnelly as his strong drives to the basket and smooth jump shot wreaked havoc in the Edinburgh key area.

A frantic third quarter followed as the turnover count started to rise for both teams.  However, while Edinburgh only managed occasional successful jaunts to the basket while Glasgow maintained their frustrating precision from the free throw line and mid-range jump shots to keep the scoreboard ticking over.  A lack of penetration into the key and incisiveness near the basket meant the deficit Edinburgh were chasing rarely dipped below the 20 point mark.  At the end of the third period Edinburgh trailed by 58-40.

At the start of the fourth quarter it was Horton once more, who was asking the questions for Edinburgh.  He took plenty of punishment on his regular, fearless drives to the hoop and twice managed to complete a three-point play by absorbing the contact from the defender and finishing the shot in mid-air.  However, despite these brave solo efforts at the basket a three-point shot from a Glasgow forward was a dagger through the heart for Edinburgh.  Donnelly, who had been a pivotal figure for Glasgow throughout was the one who deservedly delivered the exclamation point on the victory for the visitors.

The tall point guard stepped inside his marker and threw down a two handed slam that left the rim rocking and the Glasgow bench roaring.  The match finished 85-60 in Glasgow’s favour which was a disappointing return for the home team who, if they had taken chances in the first quarters, may have altered the final score-line.

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