National Cup

Nov 09 2025

ND Audit Portlaoise Panthers lose unbeaten run with first round exit in MD1 National Cup

2025 President’s Cup finalists ND Audit Portlaoise Panthers suffered a first-round defeat at the hands of Limerick Sport Eagles by a score of 83-71 in the Domino’s MD1 National Cup.

Eagles dynamic duo Alex Carlisle and Ryan Leonard put on a show in Laois with the two men combining for over half of Limericks points. 18-year old Darragh Horkan also had himself a game with 19 points on a very efficient 7-10 shooting from the field. Tobias Christensen was a force in the paint, grabbing 23 rebounds with 18 of them being defensive boards. The game was a perfect performance from the 2024 finalists as they did not fall behind or lose the lead from start to finish. The loss for Portlaoise is their first of the season as they remain unbeaten in the Domino’s Men’s Division One. The win for Limerick Sport Eagles sees them face Carrick Cruisers in the quarter-finals.

Carrick Cruisers set up that quarter final with a 21-point victory over Team Northwest on Saturday evening. British forward James Aboaba scored 20 points and got 11 rebounds for Carrick accompanied by double digit games from Andrew O’Connor, Tyler Mutemasango and Keon Edwards. Cruisers will be hoping to fare better in Limerick this year after being eliminated last year at the quarter-final stage by Limerick Celtics.

Dublin Lions took the spoils in the cup edition of a Dublin derby against Malahide this weekend winning 82-68. The lead changed hands on nine separate occasions but it was the Lions who took the lead midway through the third quarter with the score at 51-49 and they only strengthened from there. From that midpoint in the third, Dublin Lions did not lose the lead and proceeded to extend the lead to as much as 17 half-way through the fourth. 20-point games from Kevin Anyanwu and Ignacio Folguieras followed by a 19-point game from American guard Russell Marr ensured that Lions progressed to the December quarter-final round.

Dublin Lions will host Drogheda Wolves in the next round after the Wolves had a dominant 35-point triumph over Killarney Cougars in a game where they took as much as a 40-point lead during the second half. Spaniard Francisco Cruz led the way with a game-high 24 points with Chima Obikwelu being a force in the paint with 16 rebounds. The win for Drogheda only adds to what has been a strong start to the season with them at 5-1 and in second spot in the Domino’s Men’s Division One table.

2025 President’s Cup semi-finalists Moy Tolka Rovers have been eliminated in the opening round following an 83-73 loss to Templeogue. Despite four Tolka players scoring in double digits, a 20-point game from Eduardo Castano and 13 from Evan Cook got Templeogue over the line and into the quarters next month. Tolka held their own in the first half, going in front three separate times in the first half. However Templeogue just had too much as the game wore on. Templeogue will host SPK Utility Trust Lakers after the Lakers defeated Tipp Talons on Saturday.

2022 winners Ulster University withstood an early push from Maigh Cuilinn to take a convincing 96-65 win through a huge 33-point and 10 rebound show from French journeyman Prince Ebwea. Ebwea has carried his offensive form from league into cup competition with his league average of 30 points per game driving Ulster into the top half of the table this season. The Galway side had a six-point lead early in the second half where they led 30-24. The score from then on was a 72-35 run in favour of Ulster as they drove home their offensive superiority in the second half. Ulster will now face Maree in the quarter finals.

2025 semi-finalists Titans BC were defeated by Maree on Saturday evening 88-72 thanks to a 33-point game from Isaiah Taylor. Jason Killeen’s side scored 31 points in the fourth quarter to extend what was a two point lead at the beginning of the final quarter, to a 16-point triumph for the Oranmore team. For Titans, the loss will sting given the strong performances from Umar Rachid and Fortune Igbokwe. They will return to their league campaign next weekend as they welcome another Galway side in Maigh Cuilinn.

The final game in the Domino’s MD1 National Cup saw SPK Utility Trust Lakers progress with an 86-74 triumph over Tipp Talons in Tipperary. All five starters for Killarney scored at least 10 points with both Eoin Carroll and Samuel Grant getting double-doubles. Talons led the game for over 35 minutes of play but Lakers took the lead inside the final four minutes and managed to extend the lead by another 10 in the final two minutes. Lakers travel to Templeogue next month hoping to get to the final four of the President’s Cup.

Briefly in the Domino’s WD1 National Cup, Cleveland Rockets defeated Clunetech Kilkenny Stars 84-73 to progress to the Women’s quarter finals where they will host University of Galway Mystics. There is one first round game left to be played with Swords Thunder hosting Moy Tolka Rovers next weekend after the game was postponed this weekend. The winning team will be rewarded with a home quarter-final against Limerick Celtics

Results

Domino’s MD1 National Cup Round of 16

Saturday 8^th November

Dublin Lions 82-68 Malahide

Ulster University 96-65 Maigh Cuilinn

Tipp Talons 74-86 SPK Utility Trust Lakers

Moy Tolka Rovers 73-83 Templeogue

ND Audit Portlaoise Panthers 71-83 Limerick Sport Eagles

Maree 88-72 Titans BC

Drogheda Wolves 86-51 Killarney Cougars

Carrick Cruisers 81-60 Team Northwest

Quarter-Final Fixtures