Confidence was high in the Bears camp following their victory in the opening game of the season and this weekend's 1st place trophy win in the Windsor Invitational Tournament. But the coaching staff of Egan, Bosence and Driscoll knew that Bears couldn't count their chickens too early as the Institute showed they had several athletic players and some good shooters during their warm up.

The first quarter was a rather edgy affair with Bears, once again, slow to get out of the blocks. The two sides traded baskets as the lead swung one way and then the other a total of 8 times before the quarter ended on level pegging at 17-17. It was clear despite the parity of the score that Bears were the much better team, but silly mistakes and numerous missed layups were again the root cause of their position (rather than anything the opposition were doing).

A strong end of quarter team talk from Coach Egan saw the Bears come out in the 2nd all fired up and raring to go. Moon Man and Volkan shared the points as Bears went on an 11-2 streak in the first 4 mintues. Defensive pressure led to easy scores, which was aided by some appalling shot selection and woeful scoring percentages from the visiting team's point guard (Laryea). As the clock wound down for the end of the quarter, a 19-6 run saw the Bears enter the half 36-23 up.

Encouraged by their success in the previous quarter, Bears started the 3rd with all guns blazing. Quick hands from George Markell saw 4 quick steals converted into easy fast break points, whilst awesome offensive glass from Chika and Moon meant that the poor Institute students were punished time and time again. With 2 minutes to go in the quarter, the lead was up to 32, but unfortunately that was as high as it would go. Liam Wyatt (who was monstrous during the Windsor tournament) picked up his 4th foul late in the quarter and was soon substituted off. Without his drive and leadership, Bears relaxed and took their foot off the pedal. Instead of punishing the opposition, Bears instead sat on their lead and were simply happy to trade baskets.

The start of the 4th quarter saw the Institute have their best spell of the game, going on an 8-2 run, whilst benefiting from a period of slap-dash Bears play. A timeout steadied the ship, and Bears brought the lead back up to where it was at the end of the 3rd. A casual display in the 4th, but one that the average fan can't really grumble about given the emphatic nature of the victory. It's hard to believe that the Institute were racking up over 100 points a game against the Bears a few seasons ago. Both teams look worlds apart from those days.

Another great team performance from the guys. Everyone deserves a mention for their teamwork and commitment to the cause. Great job guys!!