Still ballin

The NSWIS men’s basketball team continued their tour of China overnight, suffering a 51-71 loss to the hosts despite another improved performance.

The Institute’s previous match against the USA was a display of their improved efforts in defence, losing by only 14 points to a team that had downed them by 40 in the first match. Last night’s match against China showcased the Institute’s offensive prowess in creating opportunities to score, however the team was unfortunate to not be able to take the chances they created.

China appeared to tire in the third quarter which led to the NSWIS team taking advantage of the shots they were unable to convert in the first half. With a renewed effort on offense and a tightening of defense, the NSWIS headed into the final quarter down by only 10 points, 40-50.

Realising the NSWIS team was riding the momentum from the third quarter, the Chinese team played with the vigour the home crowd knew they were capable of. The sell out crowd, which included the Chinese military, rallied behind the hosts to help steer them to a 71-51 quarter, winning the final quarter by 21-11.

The result was bittersweet for the NSWIS team as many of the aspects they had been working on in training began to click. Daniel Trist led scoring with 14 points, while Andy Allen, an NSWIS graduate from 2007, was stellar in creating offensive opportunities for the team.

Other scorers on the night included Phil Chircu (10 points), Adam Stranger (nine points), Matt Logan, Stuart McEwen and Allen (four points each).

NSWIS Basketball Head Coach Damian Cotter has been glowing in his praise of the opportunities the tour presents to the athletes, as well as the hospitality shown by the hosts, saying, "I am particularly impressed with the team’s performance after the loss to the USA in Huiyang, as we have shown an increased effort in both offence and defence.

"This tour is the first time the majority of these athletes have toured overseas playing representative basketball, so the experience is invaluable to their development as they aim towards making Australian national teams. 

"The hospitality shown by everyone in China has been outstanding, making us feeling welcome at every destination and giving the NSWIS team a great amount of support, even when we play the home team. It has been a wonderful experience so far and we are all looking forward to the rest of the tour."

The NSWIS will next play New Zealand in Huizhou before moving to Tiandeng where they will wrap up the tour with three more matches.