The Muhlenberg men’s basketball team is in the midst of a nine-day trip to Ireland. Sophomore Spencer Liddic sent back the following reports:
Tuesday, August 25 a.m.
Monday morning we woke up and walked around Dublin city. We had two hours to explore, eat and shop near Trinity College, which we toured the previous day.
There was a road blocked off from traffic filled with great shops where we spent most of our time. We then boarded the bus for a four-hour bus ride to Ballina.
Upon arrival to Ballina we checked into the Downhill Inn. Our bus driver then dropped us off into the small village of Ballina, where we all got a quick lunch before the
game.
We went back to the hotel and headed off to the basketball gym for our game against a local junior national team. It was a great turnaround coming off the terrible
loss the previous night. We were up by four at the half and won, 77-63. Leading the way with a huge double-double (20 points and 17 rebounds) was big Peter Barnes.
Obi Nwizugbo almost had a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Evan Tozer and Ryan Foster each had 17 points and five rebounds.
We played a much better game, cutting our turnovers in half and dominating the rebounds, 44-17.
After the game the players invited us for a few sandwiches and desserts, which gave us the oppurtunity to meet them.
We enjoyed a great night together.
The following morning we woke up and began our journey to Belfast, which was another four-hour bus ride. We have spent a lot of time in the very uncomfortable bus
There are many O’Haras in the Irish phone books; this one is in the scorebook. |
as we made our way from the bottom of Ireland to, finally, the top. We spent the afternoon on our own converting money to pounds and exploring the city.
Tonight we have a team dinner at the hotel and will proceed to our next game here in Belfast.
Tuesday, August 25 p.m.
Tonight’s game was another great one for the Mules! We came out firing for another win as we beat Ulster, 80-68. The key for the Mules was eliminating even more
turnovers and dominating the glass once again. Even going up against a 6-8, 280-pounder, the Mules outrebounded Ulster, 40-21, and dominated the offensive glass, 18-2.
Free throws were huge down the strech as we finished the game going 7-for-8 to seal the win.
Leading the way for the Mules was Spencer Liddic with 22 points and 13 rebounds, inclduing seven offensive rebounds. Peter Barnes had 14 points and eight
rebounds, including six offensive boards. Obi Nwizugbo pitched in six points and eight rebounds while going 2-for-3 from three-point range.
Kevin O’Hara (left) came off the bench to score seven quick points to give us a spark. The Mules finished 21-for-43 shooting.
Tonight will give us the oppurtunity to explore the wonderful city of Belfast.
Wednesday, August 26
After exploring the city of Belfast as a team last night, we woke up for an up close tour of Belfast. Our tour guide, Paul, took us around the city for a three-hour tour.
Belfast is the second-largest city in Ireland behind Dublin. We learned about the conflicts between the Protestants and the Catholics, which have been going on in this area
for the past 50 years. It was very interesting to see all the murals that have been dedicated to those who sacrificed for their cause.
We also saw the Belfast Government building and the shipyard that built the Titantic. We returned around 1 and had the rest of the afternoon to ourselves to catch up on
some much-needed sleep or to shop around Belfast. With monetary supplies running quite low, American fast food (McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway) has become our primary
source of food.
Tonight we leave our hotel at 6:45 for our fourth and final game. Were hoping to come out of here with a winning 3-1 record.
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