Varisty 2022

6th March 2022, University Sports Centre, Cambridge
Oxford Women’s 2nds - 40 Cambridge Women’s 2nds - 37
Oxford Women’s 1sts 53 Cambridge Women’s 1sts 56
Both matches were extremely close (both end scores differed by only 3 points!)
The Cambridge Blues, having not seen a varsity victory in many years, felt excited coming into this year's home varsity. The game started at a high pace but saw both teams missing layups. Mousley was the first to put points on the board for Cambridge, but Oxford soon caught up. Odogwu then began dominating the rebounds, and passing the ball out to other teammates for layups and shots, including some smooth cuts from Dawson and a 3pt shot from Song. The first half ended with an 8pt lead from Cambridge.
The second half saw some early fouls and some extremely fast paced basketball. Oxford came out strong and after a few minutes, the gap closed and Oxford briefly took the lead, before they got into foul trouble. The whole final quarter was nail-bitingly close, with the teams playing point for point. The Cambridge crowd stayed loud with their defence chant (maybe too loud as both teams committed many defensive fouls…). Odogwu suffered an achilles injury with just 5 minutes left. The Blues kept calm in offence, making many passes before taking shots, but as the pressure built into the final minutes, some defensive fouls and reckless passes made the game tense. It became a 2 pt difference, with 4 seconds on the clock. Monti made 2 free throws, bringing the score to 56-52 to Cambridge. With 0.4 seconds on the clock, Oxford were fouled on a 3pt shot. Oxford made 1 of the free throws, bringing it to a 3pt Cambridge lead. Oxford scratch the last shot, trying for the 3pt shot but it doesn't go. Victory for Cambridge! One of the most intense ends to a game we have seen! (Would highly recommend watching it on youtube!)
The Panthers game started off slow, with both teams struggling to get shots in, ending on a 9-7 to Cambridge. Oxford came strong with an aggressive full-court press, forcing many turnovers. The Panthers were able to keep up thanks to some great shots from Fung and successful plays led by point guard McNeil. Cambridge stayed in the fight, starting the final quarter only one point below. The atmosphere was tense with loud chants from the crowd on both sides
However, the final 5 minutes proved to be a hard fight and Oxford were able to hang on for the win with some impressive shooting, and scoring baskets in key moments. The final score was 37-40 to Oxford.
We had such a fun time hosting varsity this year. There was such a great atmosphere created by the huge crowds! Thanks to everyone who helped to make the day so much fun, we are looking forward to travelling to Oxford next year!