By Fiona Mills
Nottingham Trent University women’s basketball 1s secured a commanding 76-52 victory over University of Birmingham in their second home game of the season.
The matchup saw Trent take control early, deploying a relentless full-court press that led to a ten-point lead in the first quarter, forcing half-court violations from Birmingham.
Trent’s aggressive defense, quick transition, and offensive rebounds, ending the quarter with a strong 25-11 lead.
In the second quarter, Birmingham began to leverage their height advantage in the paint, moving the ball well to create scoring opportunities inside.
But NTU’s tight zone defense limited Birmingham’s scoring, holding them to only 11 points in the quarter and closing the half with a substantial 41-22 lead.
The third quarter brought a surge from Birmingham’s bench, showcasing their versatility and testing NTU’s defense.
Birmingham capitalised on NTU’s few defensive lapses, posting their highest-scoring quarter with 20 points and holding NTU to 13 points.
Birmingham narrowed the gap as they headed into the final quarter.
Determined to halt Birmingham’s momentum, NTU implemented a man-to-man defense in the fourth quarter.
This shift forced Birmingham to scramble and give up frequent turnovers, leading to a technical foul after a well-executed NTU steal.
With Birmingham struggling to find offensive rhythm, NTU closed out the game with a 22-point final quarter while holding Birmingham to just 10 points.
The game concluded with NTU’s 76-52 win, extending their winning streak and building confidence as they prepare for a highly anticipated home game against Loughborough, the only team to have defeated them this season.
Trent’s Rosie Porter said: “This game was about putting the pieces together, and it’s all starting to fall into place.
“We’ve worked hard to learn from the past, and Loughborough should expect a whole new level of unity from us this time around.
“We’re coming back stronger, focused, and ready to leave it all on the court.”