After 12 weeks of university basketball action across six states, more than 410 student- athletes from thirteen universities have played over 130 games culminating in last night’s grand finals and the conclusion of the third season of the University Basketball League Australia (UBL).
La Trobe University (LTU) women and The University of Melbourne (MELB) men travelled to Sydney to take on the undefeated hosts The University of Sydney (USYD) women and University of Technology Sydney (UTS) men.
The women's contest kicked off the 2023 UBL Grand Finals at The University of Sydney with LTU starting strong and leading from the outset of the match. Up 44-23 by half-time and extending their lead in the third quarter LTU finished ahead by 23 points (78-55) to reclaim the champions trophy in impressive form over the undefeated home side.
The University of Sydney and La Trobe University in the 2023 Grand Final © Tsunami Basketball SYD
LTU’s Steph Georgantas (Bachelor of Nursing) was top scorer with 25 points, shooting seven 3 pointers, and Piper Dunlop (Bachelor of Exercise Science) with pinpoint accuracy shooting at 80%, adding 18 points to her tally and 17 rebounds.
USYD’s Meg Jefferson (Master of Sustainability) was a standout for the home side, adding an important 13 points and 15 rebounds for her team.
2023 UBL Women's Champions: La Trobe University © Tsunami Basketball SYD
As LTU lifted the trophy, the two men’s teams started their warmup and the crowd began to gather at UTS’s Ross Milbourne Sports Centre for the much anticipated match-up between the top men’s teams in their first head to head clash of the season.
Both teams came out with a high intensity in front of the packed-out stadium, with MELB edging ahead at quarter time 25-19, and extending the lead to 50-33 at the end of the half.
Matt Roseby, MELB © Tsunami Basketball SYD
UTS pushed back in the final half, with captain and Health student Tom Buvac leading the way with 30 points to his name. However, MELB proved too strong and the likes of Matt Roseby (Bachelor of Commerce) and Joel Rimes (Doctor of Philosophy) added over 40 points between them, and Dihan Wiggett (Bachelor of Commerce) proved invaluable with 15 points and 16 rebounds.
Despite an attempted comeback from the undefeated UTS, MELB’s shooting accuracy was the difference and kept the home side’s challenge at bay, MELB securing the trophy 77-67.
2023 UBL Men's Champions: The University of Melbourne © Tsunami Basketball SYD
UniSport Australia Chief Executive Officer, Mark SInderberry was impressed by the calibre of the league in its third season: “It’s been a standout season for the UBL. Not only have we had two new universities enter the league this year, but ten of these universities made the finals series which highlights the spread of talented student-athletes across the country.”
“The biggest surprise of the season was Federation University men (Fed Falcons), under head coach and Olympian Ray Borner, knocking off the 2022 UBL champions USYD 102-95 and winning their first UBL game” said Sinderberry.
"We look forward to the winning teams again being invited to participate in an international tour to Chinese Taipei to take on local universities in a unique opportunity for both student-athletes and coaches."
Congratulations to the two MVPs for the 2023 season, as voted by coaches throughout the regular season games.
2023 Women's MVP from USYD
Carla Pitman (Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science)
Avg 16.64 points, 9.82 rebounds, 3.91 assists
2023 Men's MVP from UTS
Alex Higgins-Titsha (Bachelor of Sports Management)
Avg 18.92 points, 11.42 rebounds, 2.67 assists
2023 Men's Ladder:
2023 Women's Ladder:
Missed the game? Watch replays of both games on demand and free on UniSportTV
About UBL
The University Basketball League Australia (UBL) is a national university basketball competition first established in 2021. Thirteen universities from six states across Australia participate in the competition in both men’s and women’s divisions. The twelve-week competition will see more than 130 games played in a home and away format on university campuses. All games are live streamed free and on demand through UniSportTV.
For more information on the UBL click here
About UniSport
UniSport Australia (UniSport) is the peak body for university sport in Australia. 43 universities are members of UniSport, representing a population of over one million students. UniSport’s ambition is to become an integral partner to Australian universities and to deliver an outstanding student experience at our national intervarsity competitions.
More information on UniSport: www.unisport.com.au
For more information please contact:
Kylie Bloodworth
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