Check out the latest BUCS round-up as one of two remaining perfect records comes to an end and Bath finally started their campaign in Week 4.
Starting with the North Division and Leeds Beckett made it two straight wins with a convincing 90-64 success at home to Sheffield Hallam to the delight of Head Coach Matt Newby.
“The back to back wins against calibre opposition Loughborough and Sheffield definitely has given us some momentum in BUCS regular season play,” he said. “I think the Northern division is the strongest it’s ever been with no game a given with all teams involved battling on the BBL front either through affiliation or university, so there’s a lot at stake.”
Meanwhile, Loughborough returned to winning ways with a hard-fought 62-53 win at home to Durham with Conner Washington leading the way with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Captain Will Maynard scored 11 points while Barry Lamble added 10 and Anthony Rowe grabbed 11 boards to go along with his 8 points.
And finally, Worcester recorded a 76-65 victory to end the unbeaten start of Northumbria, who were led by 21 points from Christian Hatch in the absence of their BBL contingent. Despite their first defeat, Northumbria’s Head Coach Marc Steutel managed to reflect on the positives whilst agreeing with counterpart Newby on the strength of the division.
“Overall, I’d say I’m pleased with the performance. We did a good job for three quarters and the players tried to do everything I asked,” he said. “In the last quarter, I felt they had more in their legs and just hit more shots than us.
“It’s a quality league and really positive to see. It’s full of strong established programmes and the league seems to get stronger every season.
“We just have to take it week-by-week going forward and not worry about the standings” he added. “Every week is different with lots of twists and turns. We want to continue to steadily improve and be more consistent.”
In the South, Bath finally began their campaign after a number of early postponements and put in a valiant effort in an 81-80 defeat at home to London South Bank without a few injured players. The game was close throughout but the visitors managed to hold on to earn their second win on the bounce. The hosts were led by debutants Hakim Shepherd and Stephanos Lamaris (pictured) who had 18 and 16 points respectively.
The other game in the South Division saw UCL crushed 102-14 away at Oxford after turning up with just four players. Injuries led to the visitors fielding a depleted side mixed with first and second team players.
Image credit: Taking Pictures (Sport) Ltd
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