Moycullen slipped to another defeat on Saturday against confident cup finalists UCD Marian in Galway. Despte a spirited showing from the home team, the visitors had too much firepower, easing to a 91-73 victory.
However Moycullen will be happier with the team performance. After a poor start, they dug in to claw their way back into the game, getting within three points in the third quarter. Unfortunately some sloppy ball management and poor transition defence at that crucial stage undid the good work and let Marian off the hook.
Moycullen now face another week off before travelling to Belfast to face Ulster Elks, the one team they have beaten this season, and on the back of last weekend’s good showing, and with the possible return of Cian Nihill, they will be optimistic of recording a second win.
Saturday's game saw Moycullen begin with good intensity. Mason Ambler showed good energy early on and proved unstoppable close to the hoop. Howeve, Marian proved a real challenge for the Moycullen defence. Daniel James used his size advantage well, scoring their first four points, while Neil Baynes scored nine points for the quarter. When American James Crowder connected on nine points in a row for the visitors, another long night looked on as the home team slipped to a 26-13 deficit at the quarter.
However Moycullen dug in in the second and their agressive defence began to limit the Marian scoring opportunities. At the other end Ambler was in inspired form, adding 10 more points to his first quarter haul of 11. With Stephen Tummon also finding his range, Moycullen set about eating into the deficit.
Paul O'Brien came off the bench to hit a three-pointer and his brother James logged some valuable minutes and connected on another long-range effort. However Dan James responded with five points for the visitors and Baynes added four more. Despite this, another Tummon score saw the margin down to a manageable seven at the half, 41-34, with 29 of Moycullen's 34 points from the inside pairing of Tummon and Ambler.
Tummon and Ambler continued to dominate close to the hoop, while the Moycullen defence shut down the Marian offence. When Dylan Cunningham got on the scoresheet for the first time, the margin was down to four, 50-46. However, it was at that point Moycullen became a little sloppy and Marian stepped up their game. Baynes and Dan James connected on the fast break and, when James hit a three-pointer, the gap was back out to 13 and the game was effectively over. Mason Ambler added three more points for the hosts, but the margin was still at 15 at the end of the quarter.
Moycullen continued to chase the game, but Neil Baynes was inspiring for the visitors, scoring at will, including nine in a row as they finished 91-73 winners.
Moycullen: Mason Ambler (37 ), Stephen Tummon (16 ), James Loughnane (6 ), Paul O'Brien (6 ), Dylan Cunningham (4 ), Mike Dowd (2 ), James O'Brien (2 ), John Cunningham, Eoghan Maxwell, Kevin McDonald, Nollaig Cunningham, Gerald Lyons. Coach: Enda Byrt.
UCD Marian: Neil Baynes (30 ), Dan James (21 ), James Crowder (21 ), Conor Meany (8 ), Michael Higgins (7 ), Niall Meaney (4 ), Matt Kelly, Conor James, Paddy Young, Cathal Finn. Coach: Fran Ryan.
