Plucky Panthers denied first Super League win after late surge by defending champions Trinity
Even Jasmine Burke's work under the boards was not enough to see Panthers prevail Photo: Paul Dargan
MIDLANDS Park Portlaoise Panthers gave it everything in pursuit of their first win in this season’s Domino’s Women’s Super League when they travelled to Coláiste Íosagáin on Saturday evening to face Trinity Meteors, but a nine-point run deep into the final quarter helped see the defending champions survive this fierce test.
Even after that late surge, Panthers still managed to reduce their arrears to just three points with just under five minutes remaining, but Trinity dug deep to push on again, Catherine Connaire, Aishling Moran and Hazel Finn serving up big buckets down the stretch for the home side.
With a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds, Zayn Urbaniak-Dornstauder turned in a big performance for Trinity, who were looking to get their title defence back on track after a run of two games without a win.
Finn and Morgan Lenahan also delivered for the home side with a combined 30 points, the latter adding four rebounds and five assists on the night.
Chinwe Iwunze turned in her most prolific performance of the season so far for Portlaoise, equalling Dornstauder’s game-high 18 points, while fellow new-signing, Bria Shine was another to chalk up a double-double of 15 points and a huge 14 rebounds.
But even those significant hauls, along with 10 points for Alyssa Velles and the work of Jasmine Burke and Megan Dunne under the boards, was not enough to see Panthers prevail in what was the first stop for them in a double-game weekend in Women’s Super League.
Indeed, Ger Jago’s side will be disappointed at letting this one slip given the amount of scores they left behind on the court, having converted just 10 of their 27 free throws and finished on just 17 percent with efforts from off the three-point line.
They were, however, quickly off the mark on Saturday, Dunne draining a big three just a minute into proceedings before Shine struck in the paint to help propel them 5-0 up before Dornstauder opened Trinity’s account after almost three minutes of action.
The hosts, however, clicked into gear soon after, helped no end by a 12-point run that featured big shots from beyond the arc by Kara McCleane and Finn and helped propel Trinity into a 21-13 lead by the close of the first quarter.
Portlaoise, however, served up a big response in the second period, registering 11 unanswered points, starting with a timely treble from Iwunze that was followed by several buckets from Velles to see them overtake by three.
Trinity got their side of the scoreboard ticking again by way of an Aisling Moran treble and a deuce from Dornstauder as a real tug-of-war ensued, Finn getting in a with a late basket to help nudge the homeside into a narrow 36-33 lead by the time they reached the halftime break.
They managed to widen that gap to seven early in the third, compliments of Moran and Dornstauder, only to see Portaloise haul themselves back on to level terms at 42 points apiece after Iwunze picked up five from the free-throw line and field before Shine netted a double.
Morgan Lenehan did punctuate that run with a three before Katie Rose Harrison got in for a bucket that left just a solitary point between the sides (45-44) heading into the final quarter.
The game was deadlocked two more times before Trinity produced that decisive nine-point run through Lenehan and Dornstauder that put them back in the driving seat.
And while Harrison and Velles combined to cut the gap to three, they could not stop Meteors from pushing on with a further six unanswered points that effectively copper-fastened this much-needed victory for them.
Despite this latest defeat, Portlaoise will be looking to draw on the huge positives from such a tenacious performance as they gear up for a quick turnaround that sees head to Clontarf on Monday to face off against Killester.
The two sides currently prop up the Super League table on identical 0 and 4 records, and another fierce battle is sure to be in store as they battle it out in a bid to get off the mark in this season’s campaign, Portlaoise hoping they can prove a lot more clinical this time, particularly with their uncontested shots in order to really turn the heat up on the National Cup champions.
: Hazel Finn, Kara McCleane, Morgan Lenahan, Catherine Connaire, Ciara Mulligan, Aisling Moran, Kaitlyn Summers, Zayn Urbaniak-Dornstauder, Rachel Rice.
Top Scorers: Zayn Urbaniak-Dornstauder (18), Hazel Finn (16), Morgan Lenahan (14).
Ruth O’Brien, Megan Dunne, Katie Rose Harrison, Jasmine Burke, Alyssa Velles, Bria Shine, Chinwe Iwunze.
Top Scorers: Chinwe Iwunze (18), Bria Shine (15), Alyssa Velles (10).
