By Sean Lawrenson, Deputy Sports Editor
The season could not have gotten off to a better start for Bristol Basketball Women’s 1’s, delivering one of the standout performances of Bristol university’s sporting calendar, with a resounding win over Bath on Wednesday.
In the first quarter, Bristol and Bath both traded early blows, in what was a cagey first ten minutes. The first two points came from Bristol’s no19, Charlotte Christon, with a pull up jumper bouncing off the rim and in. Whilst Bath certainly had positives in the quarter, drawing several fouls from the Bristol players, the home team continued to apply pressure, with no14, María Romera, grabbing an offensive rebound and laying it in for another two. The offense was patient, not rushing any passes, waiting for lanes to open up, and finding the right pass for an easy layup. At the end of the first Bristol already had a comfortable 13-point lead.
The second quarter started with the same intensity and determination the first ended on. In the first play of the quarter, a bath player had their shot blocked ferociously by Bristol’s no2, Grace Cosford, signalling a defensive grit and hustle which became the standout from the game. It was Bristol’s defence which enabled them to play with so much freedom on the other end of the court. Multiple blocks in this quarter, intercepted passes and running for loose balls gave the players the opportunity to capitalise with fastbreaks which came thick and fast. That being said, Bath did grow into the game, and Bristol had to be equal to the improvement in performance from the away team; they did. By the end of the first half the score was 38-16 in the favour of the Spartans.
Now, the third quarter. By far the best demonstration of the strong foothold Bristol had in this game, with a defensive masterclass leading to a phenomenal ten minutes of basketball. It was the way in which Bristol deflected Bath’s passes, completely limiting their ability to build any form of momentum which was the key. This, combined with the away team’s decision to employ elements of a full court press (always a difficult tactic to employ) left so much free space for the Spartans to run into. It was fastbreak layup after fastbreak layup. It was mystifying, with Bath’s first points of the quarter coming with just 39 seconds left on the clock for the quarter. Bristol outscored the away team 25-4 in the ten minutes, and by the end of the third it was difficult to see any way back for the Bath team.
All in all, as the fourth quarter passed by without a hitch, this was an extremely encouraging display from the Bristol team. Offensively the team played with a freedom and fluency, executing well drawn up plays, but also (and more so) the defensive commitment of the team enabled the attack to flourish. It was truly a phenomenal two-way performance from every one of the players.
Post Match Comments
Puneet Kaur Bansal, Captain of the W1 Bristol Basketball team: I am so proud of all of the players on my team! Everyone stepped up from the beginning and set the standard for D1. All of the girls on W1 bring something unique to the game, and that was highlighted through my team’s performance. We could not have done it without Sammy, his constant dedication to the team truly shines through our performance. We hope to continue with this energy for the remainder of the season and look forward to playing other universities.
Sammy Cobbold, W1 Coach: As a coach I couldn't have asked for anything more from the team. It was the perfect way to start the season, absolutely demolishing Bath (a local rival) from the first minute of the game. It was great to get all players plenty of court time in the season opener, with 10 out of 12 players getting on the scoresheet and everyone making a valuable contribution. We've set the tone for the season and started our D1 campaign with a bang!
Meet the First Team Squad
Top row (left to right): Skye Swift, Grace Cosford, Talia Tombs, Rosemarie Graham, María Romera, Tala Mufti, Sammy Cobbold (Coach)
Bottom row (left to right): Smruthi Sundararaman, Amelie Wright, Puneet Kaur Bansal (Captain), Chloé Stevens, Charlotte Christon, Allison Tze Yau Yuen
Featured image: BristolUniSport
