Just two days after a good win over the Exeter University first team, Newton Abbot Pacers faced the university’s second team.

The expectation was, therefore, for another positive result.

Pacers were looking for a more fluent start than their previous two games, against what was going to be very energetic opposition.

The home squad did not disappoint as good transitional play and strong close to basket work enabled Pacers to be 22-4 ahead at the end of the first quarter.

In the second period Pacers continued to move the ball with pace and drove strongly to basket, adding a further 20 points to their score.

At the other end of the court, a change in defensive formation saw Pacers looking much more compact as a unit. However the University girls moved the ball effectively around the ring and, together with some fine perimeter shots, they more than doubled their score to be 11-42 behind at the mid-way point.

In the third period Pacers remained a very tight defensive unit and in this third 10 minutes of play they conceded only the one basket.

In attack, Pacers slowed up their movements and set up each offensive play. This also proved to be a fruitful way to play as, by the end of the third quarter they were now 65-13 ahead.

During the last period the University players adapted their offence and started to penetrate the home defence and move their score along.

This prompted a change to the Pacers’ defensive style and the points flow ceased.

In attack, the home side were failing to pick out the appropriate pass to movement off the ball and shooting opportunities were, for once, hard to come by.

As a result the rate of scoring slowed, but once the speed of ball movement up court picked up during the final minutes Pacers pushed ahead with their scoring to run out 85-19 winners.

Full story in Friday’s Mid-Devon Advertiser