UTT defies odds against Shak Attack to reach semis

After scraping past the Ministry of Sport (MOS) Schoolaz in the first round, the University of T&T (UTT) used its momentum to record one of the upsets of the tournament with a last-gasp 87-86 win over reigning champions and favourites Detour Shak Attack in the MACKESON Super 10 Basketball League, on Friday night. The match was played at the Jean Pierre Complex, Wrightson Road, with an exciting finish thanks to UTT’s point-guard Jeffrey Harris, who scored the last six and most vital points for his team. The shock result means that UTT will face another improving team National Flour Mills in the semifinal stage of the tournament. UTT actually had the lead by a five point gap at 28-23 going into the second period, before extending it to 45-34 at the half. Shak Attack rallied from the extensive deficit to trail by a solitary point at 62-61 at the end of the third quarter.  

 

Shak Attack prize player of the season, guard Kurt “Coto” Christian helped his team to a 11-3 run in the fourth quarter, which subsequently saw them lead 77-75, with the match heading down to the wire. During the period, “Koto” scored 13 points for a season-high 36 points, which unfortunately was not enough to see the team into the final four. Two minutes and 13 seconds left in the match, Harris and UTT regained the lead and managed to match Shak Attack, point for point, into the final moments, when the university held onto the one point advantage. Harris finished with 17 points and five rebounds to his name, while forward Kevin Noreiga led the way with 20 points and eight rebounds for UTT.  Michael Jerome helped himself to a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds and Kern George scored 13 points. For Shak Attack, Christian also had nine rebounds and seven steals. He got support from point-guard Kenneth Roberts, who scored 19 points and pulled down five rebounds and forward Andy Best had 14 points. While UTT, NFM and Caledonia Clippers have done enough to seal their semifinal spots, the final spot will be determined by the winner of the match-up between Petro Jazz and Maloney Pacers, which will jump off after the Carnival festivities.