NUIG Mystics have their eyes on bigger prizes having claimed this season's National Cup for women’s division one basketball with a dominant performance over Griffith College Templeogue at the National Basketball Arena.
The Galway club led from start to finish and were deserved 68-35 winners. Courtney Cecere was awarded MVP for her 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Hazel Finn bagged14 points and 14 rebounds.
Mystics' forward Áine McDonagh says the hope is now Mystics can achieve promotion to the next level.
" I think we’ll try to get to Super League - hopefully with the league, if we can push on from here. Obviously it’s huge to get this win and we’re just delighted, and hopefully we’ll just keep going this year.
“We’ve put in such hard work and it’s a real collective team, so it was amazing to do it with this bunch of girls," she says.
“Every single game we have someone else stepping up for different games. Obviously we had Courtney stepping up hugely, winning the golden ball, Hazel [Finn] as well, so every single girl can step up at different times and the scoring is always shared among everyone, which is great. It’s amazing to have Paul [O’Brien] as coach, he’s such an experienced coach and he brings such knowledge to the team and we just all love feeding off him.”
Five points from Alison Blaney ensured a good start for NUIG Mystics before a couple of Jah-Leah Ellis free throws finally got Griffith College Templeogue on the scoreboard in the fourth minute. As the Dublin club struggled with their shooting, NUIG Mystics pulled away.
They added four points from Aoife Ryan, and a three-point jump shot from Kara McCleane to lead 21-4 at the end of the first quarter.
It took Griffith College Templeogue 12 minutes to finally get a field goal, Akeema Richards landed it, to trail 25-6. A Finn jump shot and a long range three from Courtney Cecere saw NUIG Mytics stretch their advantage to 30-6 - just three and a half minutes into the quarter.
A 10 point haul from Hazel Finn, sister of Ireland international Dayna Finn, proved instrumental in building NUIG Mystics’ sizeable lead. Griffith College tried to keep themselves in it with Amie Tunnah scoring four points in the quarter, but they still trailed by 42-14 at the break.
Lynn Tunnah finally got off the mark to cut the lead to 44-18, but it was short-lived as consecutive threes from NUIG's Cecere and Sara Messler stretched the margin to 52-18. Tunnah landed a three point jump shot a minute later, but Mystics continued to control proceedings for a 62-27 lead.
Siobhan O’Neill scored eight points in the final quarter for Griffith College Templeogue, including four at the start, to make it 62-31. But in a low scoring quarter, it would finish 68-35.
Coach Paul O'Brien said all 15 had worked so hard all yaer.
"We have 15 players in our squad. Only 12 could tog out here, but everyone has given all they have all year, it’s really, really great."
Top scorers: Griffith College Templeogue - Siobhan O’Neill and Akeema Richards (both 8 ), Lynn Tunnah (7 ). NUIG Mystics - Courtney Cecere (15 ), Hazel Finn (14 ), Aoife Ryan and Kara McCleane (both 8 ), Lynn Tunnah (7 )
Griffith College Templeogue: Berta Rodriguez Carrera (4 ), Cliona Máirtin (0 ), Lynn Tunnah (7 ), Lauren Darcy (0 ), Aoife Whelan (0 ), Hannah Murphy (0 ), Joanne Mahon (Ni Mhathuna ) (DNP ), Jah-Leah Ellis (4 ), Akeema Richards (8 ), Kaitlyn Miley (0 ), Siobhan O’Neill (8 ), Amie Tunnah (4 ).
NUIG Mystics: Hazel Finn (14 ), Aoibhinn Walsh (0 ), Kara McCleane (8 ), Laura Lopez Morera (0 ), Alison Blaney (5 ), Maedhbh O’Brien (4 ), Áine McDonagh (9 ), Ava McCleane (0 ), Courtney Cecere (15 ), Aoife Ryan (8 ), Sara Messler (5 ), Maggie Byrne (0 ).
