University of Lincoln Lakers made it three wins on the bounce to climb up to third in the Lincoln Basketball league following a close affair against Oddities.
The first quarter saw UoL start strong, leading by four points. This was followed by an exciting second quarter with UoL adding 14 more points to their tally, aided by their star player, Luca Muggtinov scoring eight points.
However, the league strugglers, Oddities, competed well as they added 12 points to the scoreboard in the second quarter. Key players from both teams shone throughout the match. For Oddities, Walker and Duggan both contributed 9 points in the second quarter due to efficient shooting, showcasing their scoring abilities and keeping the Oddities in contention.
UoL had earnt their six-point lead with the score being 23-17 at the half-way mark.
Oddities added crucial points in the third quarter, but the team struggled to control the rebounds, which proved costly in the tight contest. UoL carried their momentum going into the third quarter scoring an additional eight points whilst Oddities could only manage three.
Oddities coach, Mark Tofer said: “We grew into the game in the third and fourth quarter due to closing the space when they had the ball and being more aggressive in our play. I’m happy with the performance from the lads.”
The fourth quarter started with an 11-point gap in UoL’s favour. Oddities fought to narrow the margin and had some success in doing so in the hope of a late comeback. Oddities’ display in the last quarter earnt them nine points compared to UoL’s three but just fell short to muster a comeback. UoL came away with the victory with the scores settled at 34-29.
UoL’s victory was powered by a standout performance from Muggtinov, who scored an impressive 23 points, said “It was tough at times, they started dominating the post in the last quarter but we managed it well and came out with the victory”.
While Oddities fall to another loss, UoL win their third consecutive match, climbing up to third in the table. UoL are scheduled to face the league leaders, Lightning, on December 7 in a highly-anticipated top of the table clash.
