Merry Monk advance to last 16 of the National Cup

Merry Monk Ballina advanced to the second round of of the NICC Men's National Cup after a narrow 72-69 win over Dublin Raiders yesterday (Sunday) afternoon in Ballina Sports Complex.

The visitors were 35-28 in front at half-time, with Shane Byrne in top form for the men from the capital. However, a storming third quarter from Merry Monk saw them win the period 27-17 and move them three points in front, a lead they would ultimately win by, with Mark Cunningham scoring 11 points in that period.

Ronan O'Malley was Merry Monk's top scorer on the day with 16 points, followed closely behind by Theo Daly (15), Mark Cunningham and Brian Donoghue (13 each).

Their reward is a home tie in the last 16 against Ballincollig BC, while Derek Cunningham's side are back on the court this Saturday evening for BIDL action against Clare Cascaders. Tip-off is at 6pm in Ballina Sports Complex.