Women's Basketball: Scotland v Northern Ireland

Scotland, with Sarah O’Brien and Nicola McBrierty of the University of Edinburgh in the starting five, went into their match with Northern Ireland as favourites, and expecting to get their campaign off to a winning start. The victory came in the end, but they were made to work an awful lot harder for their win than the early exchanges suggested that they would be.

Leading 17-7 after five minutes, and 27-11 at the end of the first quarter, on the back of excellent ball pressure and effective offensive play, the Scots seemed to have things in hand. All five starters, including Scottish senior cap and City of Edinburgh Kool Kats player, Emma Findlay, had registered points in the first quarter, and went into the second quarter with great confidence.

A change in defensive strategy from the Welsh saw the Scots settle for three-pointers too often, and the visitors went on a scoring run of their own at the start of the second quarter, cutting the lead to nine points at 31-22, before a Scottish time-out steadied the ship. Gillian Baird got two quick baskets for the Scots in the final minute, before a soft basket allowed Wales to bring the Scottish lead back to eleven points at the end of the first half.

Ireland opened the second half scoring through Niamh Toner after ninety seconds of play, before Sarah O’Brien’s three-pointer, and Rebecca Cumming’s tough driving lay-up, extended the Scottish lead to twelve. The Irish made a real fight of the game in the fourth quarter, and pulled within four points at 56-42 on the back of inspired play from Niamh and Fionnuala Toner, before Baird again, and another three from Cumming gave the Scots more of a cushion.

The Irish, though, refused to admit defeat, and came roaring back, only for Cumming to come up with a big basket once again, quickly followed by another from McBrierty. The Irish called a time out, in the hope of regaining their momentum, but a clever switch to a 2-2-1 press by coach Benn Gunn saw the Scots regain possession immediately, allowing Baird to convernt a three-point play for a lead of 68-57 with six minutes to play.

The Irish hit back through Fionnuala Toner once more, before a fantastic sequence from Rebecca Cumming took the Scottish lead back to double digits. The guard registered a fantastic block at the defensive end of the court, before sprinting down the floor to score a difficult contested lay up to complete the sequence. Baird registered two more important scores for the Scots, before Sarah O’Brien’s three-pointer punctuated the Scottish victory, with the final score standing at 80-72 in favour of the home side.

Players of the game

Scotland: Rebecca Cumming’s tally of 27 points, 6 steals, six assists and 3 rebounds stands comparison with any submitted by a guard during today’s matches, while Gillian Baird’s fantastic double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds, in addition to 4 steals and 2 blocks was a great achievement. Emma Findlay delivered a great point-guard’s performance with 10 assists to go with her 6 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals.

Northern Ireland: Fionnuala Toner’s 18 points and 14 boards were a fantastic performance, while the 12 points and 9 boards submitted by Niamh Toner were equally as impressive. Aisling Murray scored 3 three-pointers from six attempts on her way to 16 points, also registering 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals into the bargain.