SEASON-OPENER WIN FOR THE ​PANTHERS

After a tough season in 2016-17, the Cambridge Panthers started off the new season with a strong 55-22 win over the University of Cranfield. The Panthers dominated the game from the very beginning, starting off with a man defence before taking the opponents off guard with a full court press 1 minute into the game. Despite our initial game tactics, Cranfield opened the score board with a 3-0 lead. The Panthers fought back hard with forward Joanna Kurcharczak making several good drives towards the basket, putting up 4 points while point guard Eunice Wong scored 6 points from mid-range jump shots. The beginning quarter ended with the Panthers leading 12-7.

The second quarter saw the Panthers stumble as the team failed to execute several of the newly learnt game plays. Nonetheless, the Panthers made several good shots with captain Evita Widjaja and guards Gaia Ganzer and June Song contributing to the continuing lead of 24-15 by the end of the second quarter.

After a team huddle during half-time led by the Panthers Coach, Kent Griffith, the Panthers came back into the third quarter focused and determined. The team executed the plays well which caused the opponent to struggle in both their defensive and offensive plays. Forward Joanna Kurcharczak had a strong game presence and shot a game-high score of 11 points during the third quarter alone. Due to the Panther's tight defence throughout the third quarter, Cranfield failed to score a single shot and the third quarter ended with the Panthers leading with a strong 39-15. The Panthers continued to put up a strong fight throughout the final quarter with guard June Song dominating the court and scoring a total of 10 points. Cranfield managed to break through the Panther's tight defence and put up several baskets after 4 minutes into the last quarter. However, the Panthers picked up the pace during the final few minutes of the game and put up 8 points during the final 2 minutes. The game closed with a final score of 55-22.

​Panthers' top scorers: Joanna Kurcharczak (19), June Song (12), Evita Widjaja (8), Eunice Wong (8)

Eunice Wong