Basketball: Scottish Cup the goal again for Falkirk Fury

The Sony Centre sponsored side won the cup last year against Dunfermline Reign.

Fury were quickly ahead 25-11 after the opening quarter, and after adding a 32-3 second period to that, they were a whopping 43 points ahead at half time.

With third and fourth quarter scorelines of 19-6 and 32-5 respectively, Fury ran out 85 point winners overall and secured a place in the quarter-finals, where they will face key rivals St Mirren at home.

On the night in Perth, Fury had six players in double figure scoring with Lithuanian ace Eddy Leginas leading the team with 20 points personal scored. Veteran Scotty Russel notched 19 with Ziggy Dauksas also on 18 – he returned to the side after missing the previous Glasgow University game through illness.

American newcomer Javon Daniels had his best game of the season with 17 points, while Bantu Burroughs on limited minutes had 14 with Adnan Jalil on 12.

Fury head coach John Bunyan said of the win: “It was a positive performance in Perth overall and that will help us as we look to achieve our goals, and as we work in training towards another tough league game on Saturday against Boroughmuir Blaze. The chemistry within the team at the moment is really strong and that will help us.”

Fury’s match against Championship title rivals Blaze is on the road in the capital on Saturday at the Crags SC. Tip off is 3.20pm.

Meanwhile, Fury’s senior women maintained their winning streak with a 86-57 road win over Dundee Madsons. Ahead 22-16 after the opening period, Fury moved up a gear to take the second quarter with a solid 21-8 scoreline.

Shannon Flippard was in excellent form as she took the opening six points of the game for Fury with three tough driving lay-ups. The second period saw Abby Rutter and Rebecca Lonsdale each shoot a pair of threes in a half that saw the Falkirk side hit seven from beyond the arc. Junior Emily Dagger continued the Fury barrage with ten personal points in the third, that included two threes. Shannon Flippard and Emily Dagger top scored for Fury with 17 points apiece.

Meanwhile, Falkirk Fury suffered a poor weekend as they lost on league duty for the first time this campaign, losing out in a nail-biting two-point game against Glasgow University.

The Sony Centre sponsored side moved to five wins and one loss in the Scottish Championship Division One table after the 72-70 defeat on the road.

Fury had started strongly by going ten points clear at 18-8 in the first period with threes from Adnan Jalil, Eddy Leginas and Javon Daniels.

Evaldis Burksaitis was on fire in the paint with three great baskets and Bantu Burroughs was making shots around the key as Fury ended the first 23-15 ahead.

Fury continued to score from the perimeter with threes from Yves-J Ndongala and Javon Daniels in the second stanza, but it was the students who took the period, edging ahead at the half with a 36-35 advantage as the tide slightly turned.

In a tight up-tempo game, Fury then got the better of the third with a 22-20 scoreline, putting the Falkirk side ahead by only one point going into the final quarter.

Nine points personal from ace Burroughs in the third was key for Fury as Daniels continued to score from long range.

Then with four minutes remaining, Fury had taken a six-point lead with Ndongala and Burroughs hitting big shots down the stretch.

However, it was the home side who would cross the line with key three scoring down the stretch, taking a two-point win after a poor final few moments from Fury.

Burroughs was in great form with 28 points personal to lead Fury, while Ndongala finished with 11 and Javon Daniels had 10 as the side narrowly lost out.

Fury head coach John Bunyan reckons the league championship will have more twists and turns along the way.

He said: “We only lost out by two points and it was right at the end of the game.

“I’m not worried however. At the start of the season I did think that the quality in the division had improved significantly and that the league has six or even seven teams that are all capable of beating each other.

"In terms of the Championship title race that really does mean there is a long way to go.”