The inaugural University Basketball League 2021 starts with a thriller in Round One

Friday 16 April 2021

The 2021 University Basketball League (UBL) has tipped off with an exhilarating first round.

On Tuesday at the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), the USC Spartans took on La Trobe University where the Spartan women pulled away with a healthy lead in the first half.

La Trobe made a rising comeback making it a tight game but the Spartans held strong to win 71-65.

The men’s game saw plenty of action at both ends of the court with La Trobe coming out victorious over the Spartans 79-49.

Image: University of the Sunshine Coast and La Trobe University men’s game.

Day 2 saw the USC Spartans back on their home court against The University of Sydney with yet another close game for the Spartan women’s team who managed to get ahead of Sydney finishing four points up 66-62.

The University of Sydney’s men team scored an impressive 83 points against USC with 71 points.

Image: University of the Sunshine Coast and The University of Sydney women’s teams.

Local rivals Victoria University and The University of Melbourne were matched up in an eventful afternoon at the Victoria University Community Sports Stadium on Wednesday.

Victoria University’s women dominated from the start to win comfortably over Melbourne 66-33.

In the men’s game, Melbourne shot out to a solid lead early on, but Victoria University fought to lead in the last minutes. In a heart stopping finish, an incredible 3-pointer from #4 Josh McNally (Bachelor of Science at The University of Melbourne) was the game winner for Melbourne with only 6 seconds left on the clock, winning 83-82 points.

For all results and to re-live the highlights, head to the UBL website.

Looking ahead to round two, UWA Maali (University of Western Australia) are looking to start their UBL campaign strong against their rivals from across the country, Victoria University.

The University of Melbourne and La Trobe University will both face the NSW teams, University of Technology Sydney and the University of Sydney, in what will be an exciting round of matches for spectators.

You can find the full schedule here.

To watch all UBL matches live and on-demand, head over to Cluch TV.