Sunderland Men’s Basketball 1sts 79-78 Hull Men’s 1sts

Hull will remain winless after Sunderland gave a miraculous 15 point comeback to win 79-78.

A flat-footed Sunderland were outmatched in aggression in the first half as Hull’s Matthew Allgood, Travis Cockerill and Max Houlden were the soul of the visitor’s play style.

A passion-led pep talk during a timeout for Sunderland sparked a comeback for the ages after trailing by 15 with five minutes remaining in the game.

The team looked to recover off the back of a hefty defeat last week, when they fell 75-59 against Sheffield Hallam’s 1sts in the Northern Conference Cup.

The opening five minutes were dominated by both team’s centres. Sunderland’s Ali Ndayitabi and Hull’s Holden were at the core for offensive and defensive tactics by both sides

Hull’s big men duo, Houlden and Cockerill combined for 13 of the teams 18 first quarter points and had a three point advantage entering the second quarter.

Allgood’s 13 first half points fueled the visitors revenge after they were beat earlier in the season at home 63-92 by Sunderland.

A lackluster first half led to the hosts trailing 25-36, which is on pace for them to score their fewest points in a match this season, 57 points is their current low for points scored in a match.

Mario Tanuous 10 third quarter points from Sunderland’s 24 point quarter cut the visitor’s lead to three.

Despite energetic offensive plays led by Hull’s Allgood, the momentum shifted at the start of the fourth quarter.

An energy-less Sunderland were left on the back foot as Hull went on a 10-2 run inside the first three minutes of the final quarter.

Each Hull player was a threat, not because of their ability, but because of Sunderland’s lack of energy and fight. A Second coaches timeout by the hosts was used to motivate his side after trailing by 15 with five minutes left.

A 7-0 run sparked a fight for Sunderland that lacked the first three and a half quarters and caused the visitors to regroup to hold their lead.

Back and forth possessions led to two missed opportunities for Hull and the match went into overtime level at 74.

An extremely low scoring overtime saw Sunderland complete the comeback with a final score of 79-78.

The firsts have the week off and will prepare for their next league match against Leeds 1sts in Leeds on February 28 at 3:15pm.