Rip city men look to bounce back.

The UniSC Rip City Men dropped their first game of the 2023 NBL1 season to rival Sunshine Coast Phoenix on Saturday in front of a packed UniSC stadium. With the absences of NBL stars Kouat Noi and Matt Kenyon, the men struggled to find any rhythm on the offensive end all night long, something that was unfamiliar to them in the 2022 campaign.

There were major woes on the defensive end as well, giving up 101 points to the Phoenix, which is highly uncharacteristic of coach Nathan Arousi’s side in past years. Brandon Wood scored 26 points on the night while Eric McAlister added 13 points and Corey Shervil scored 11.

The men are looking forward to their Round 2 matchup with the Brisbane Captials this Sunday at UniSC stadium. Making his debut for the men will be Matt Kenyon, who will make a massive impact on both ends of the floor for the men with his athleticism and energy.

The Brisbane Captials dropped their first game as well to an extremely talented Northside Wizards team in overtime, 113-109.  Lachlan Dent was the driver for the Caps, scoring 12 points but adding 14 assists, helping set his teammates up and wreaking havoc on the Northside defense. Nick Stoddart was the leading scorer with an efficient 23 points on the night, shooting 7/12 from the field.

In the front court, Malok Majak finished with 15 and 12 on the night in only 21 minutes of play and Geordan Papacostas finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds, as well.

Atem Bior chipped in with 12 and 8 in a well rounded performance. The men will need to handle the immense defensive pressure the Caps will apply on Sunday afternoon, staying disciplined and finding rhythm as a group on both ends of the floor.

The first meeting between these two teams came down to the wire when Isiah Tueta made a jump shotwith three seconds left to give the men the win. Expect a hard fought battle in this one.

Come support the men as they look for their first win of the season this Sunday at 3 pm at UniSC stadium or watch the game on the NBL1 livestream at www.nbl1.com.au.