Jarrett Haines led the way with 24 points as University of Galway Maree secured their place in the InsureMyHouse.ie Pat Duffy Cup quarter-finals with a 88-81 home win over Flexachem KCYMS on Saturday evening.
It was far from comfortable, but defensive stops and a better late-game execution helped to edge past Killorglin in a contest finely poised at 83-79 with two minutes left.
Slick ball movement was the early indicator of success for Maree in a nip-and-tuck first quarter as Jarett Haines made consecutive buckets, including one in transition after Flexachem missed a wide open triple to open up a six-point lead.
It became a scrappy, end-to-end affair at Calasanctus College with turnovers and missed shots a recurring theme for both, though Maree frequently made difficult shots through traffic.
British shooting guard/forward Pharroh Gordon was the visitors' top scorer with 22 points in 33 minutes, the bulk coming from long-range baskets. He scored a tough floater to kick-start the second quarter though, and was repeatedly getting fouled as his impact intensified - recording 15 points in five minutes.
UG's Zach Light played limited minutes on his return from a broken nose last month, but his defensive tenacity produced a steal and sprint to the basket, with Rodrigo Gomez hammering home a dunk. Robert Alan Kelly Jr finished with 20 points for KCYMS and scored consecutive baskets to make it a 45-39 half-time score.
Sloppy turnovers and a three-point barrage saw the visitors take a slender lead shortly after the interval, before Aksels Skaistlauks gave them a five-point cushion when a bullet pass was stolen - moments after Maree had retrieved possession in the paint.
Gomez showcased his deft passing and Maree were eventually ahead once more, though it was Kelly Jr who made six of nine free-throws in the contest, and sank a three as they regained a slender advantage.
Haines showed great time-management and adaptability to win a trio of free-throws after being fouled with three seconds left in the third. Flexachem's Gordon popped up with consecutive three-pointers to keep things ticking early in the final quarter, before Joe-Junior Mvuezolo had a blistering burst of his own when drilling a corner three before Zvonimir Cutuk followed suit for UG.
Just as the game looked to be slipping out of Flexachem's reach, sloppy turnovers and a few big plays by big man Jani Griffith asked the question, scoring on successive possessions to cut the lead to four. However, Haines showed active hands to snatch and finish as Aleix Tarradellas had the ball stolen. Kelly Jr relinquished possession after running straight into traffic on the next play, before Eoin Rockall killed the game with a three.
Up next is a return to league action away against Ballincollig who are riding an encouraging wave of form right now, while in the cup, Belfast Star await UF Maree in quarter-final action during the first week of December.
Scorers for University of Galway Maree: Jarett Haines 24, Joe-Junior Mvuezolo 23, Zvonimir Cutuk 15, John Burke 10, Rodrigo Gomez 9, Eoin Rockall 7.
Scorers for Flexachem KCYMS Killorglin: Pharroh Gordon 22, Robert Alan Kelly Jr 20, Aksels Skaistlauks 19, Jani Griffith 11, Aleix Tarradellas 8, Declan Wall 1.
University of Galway Maree: Eoin Rockall, Rodrigo Gomez, Jarett Haines, Joe-Junior Mvuezolo, Zvonimir Cutuk. Bench: Cathal Finn, Ben Burke, John Burke, Malik Thiam, Paul Freeman, Zach Light, Stephen Commins.
Flexachem KCYMS Killorglin: Aleix Tarradellas, Robert Alan Kelly Jr, Pharroh Gordon, Aksels Skaistlauks, Jani Griffith. Bench: Ronan Fitzpatrick, Declan Wall, Eoin Evans, Liam Croke.
