Muskies hang on to clinch second

Tayside Musketeers clinched runners-up spot in the Scottish Women’s League despite losing 59-58 to Edinburgh University in a frantic finish at Grove Academy.

Winners by just two points over last year’s champions in their first encounter earlier in the season, Muskies knew they could not afford any slip-ups if they were to win the head-tohead points aggregate.

When they raced into a 17-point lead after just seven minutes of the first quarter it seemed almost too good to be true – and so it proved.

Muskies were still 36-19 up on the students at half-time, though top player Yhana Van Wees was in foul trouble.

With their top American guard Dori Lansbach back in the side after spending the first half of the season in Barcelona, and Hannah Robb, the ex-Muskies forward now an EU student, stepping down from the Caledonia Pride team where she has been prominent, EU charged back to lead by seven with three minutes left.

But Tayside recovered their composure and got it back to a one-point game in the final minute, helped by an end-to-end drive by guard Laura Hare who finished as their top scorer with 16 points. Paula Foster added 14 and Van Wees 13.

In a tense final minute neither side could find another basket but, with the calculators out, Muskies had done just enough to secure second place despite being in a three-way tie with EU and Glasgow Rocks behind Edinburgh Kool Kats in the final table.

Kats have a bye for the quarter-finals. The other games this weekend will be Glasgow Rocks v Falkirk Fury and Muskies v St Mirren, who overwhelmed St Andrews 73-33.