Sydney University and La Trobe University shared the spoils in the 2024 University Basketball League grand finals played on Wednesday and Thursday.
Sydney University Basketball Club’s women’s side avenged their grand final loss last season by claiming the 2024 title with an 81-62 result over La Trobe University at SUSF’s New Balance Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
The Lions’ men’s side travelled to Melbourne to take on La Trobe on Thursday afternoon but went down 104-90 to the hosts.
The Lionesses turned on a convincing display at their home court leading 23-16 at the first break and 48-29 at half-time. They pushed that out to 71-43 at three-quarter time and came away comfortable winners.
The Lionesses had scorers across the board in Alexandra Kayrouz (14), Holly Wills (13), Caitlyn Martin (13), Madeleine D’Almeida (10), Carla Pitman (10), Lauryn Walker (9), Alexandria Oliver (8), Lara Fogarty-Bennett (2) and Sophie Moore (2).
Anna Burrows led the scoring for La Trobe with 19 points, with Hayley Sparks (11), Emily Maltezos (9) and Piper Dunlop (9) the other main contributors.
After finishing second on the ladder behind the University of Tasmania, the Lionesses defeated Victoria University 65-59 in their qualifying final and then accounted for UTS 82-63 in their semi-final to earn a berth in the season decider.
Meanwhile, the Lions season didn’t have a happy ending with La Trobe proving too strong on their home court. Nick Day and Lachlan Vanderbilts Vorm each potted 26 points for the winners, with Mathew Debney (21), Lorne Waldron (13) and Sam Trezise (11) also posting double figures.
Matthew Wacher led the Lions scoring with 23 points, while Robbie Moore (21) and Michael Yoong (15) were the other main contributors.
After finishing fourth on the ladder the Lions reached the grand final with an 83-67 result over the University of Tasmania in their qualifying and an 83-71 result over the University Melbourne in the semi-final before their winning run came to an end.
Having both sides in the grand finals of a very tough league was a great result for the SUBC.
