Team Northumbria men’s basketball suffered a shock 75-57 defeat at the hands of Loughborough Student Riders as they bowed out of the playoffs at the semi-final stage.
A initially close first quarter saw both sides seeking a foothold in the match before the visitors broke the game open to lead 17-10 heading into the second period.
The home side - staying strong in defence - began to rue their missed chances at the offensive end as the Riders opened up a 12-point lead at the half.
A huge TN three-pointer to open the third period briefly swung the momentum in the hosts’ favour as they looked to close the gap.
However, yet another attacking surge from Loughborough saw the Riders head into the final quarter leading 55-35.
With the clock against them, an increasingly desperate TN tried everything to keep their season alive but the visitors stayed cool at the offensive end to see out a famous upset win.
Vice-captain Lewis Champion said: “It’s always a rubbish feeling when you lose but credit to Loughborough for playing a very good game which really took us out of our game.
“They didn’t let us get going, they just played a lot better than us and it seems they just wanted it more ion the day.
“It’s hard to take positives, especially at the end of the season, but we stayed together throughout the whole game and that’s something we have done all year. It was good to finish the season on that note even if the result was tough to take.”
The defeat ends the prospect of a treble winning season with the National Cup and Division One titles already secured for Marc Steutel’s side. However, Champion feels the side deserve some time to recover.
“We have already done the double but we really wanted to add the playoffs to that and get the three together,” he added. ‘Unfortunately it wasn’t to be for us this year.
“Now we have no more more games until the start of the next season so it will give all the guys some very deserved time off to relax and reflect on the campaign as a whole.”
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