Written by Lorcan Kelly,

UCD Marian 104-93 Tralee Warriors | Irish Super League |  UCD Belfield | 18/10/2026

Isaiah Taylor scored 43 points and Christian Alexander added 27 as UCD Marian beat a hot-shooting Tralee Warriors side in a thriller. UCD trailed for most of the first half but came back through their big men and their defensive intensity.

UCD dominated the paint early, with Tanner Graham and Christian Alexander connecting on the opening play. Tralee’s Daniel Jokubaitis answered with a three and a block. Alexander worked inside for four points off a nice pump fake and a feed from Isaiah Taylor. Graham then ran the fast break and set up Tom Maguire with a nice assist. After a Tralee timeout, Graham carried on his paint dominance with a block. Jaden Daughtry went to the bench with 3:30 left in the quarter after picking up 3 quick fouls, having helped build Tralee’s momentum with a couple nice plays. Tralee built an advantage through good ball movement, with Jordan Perkins and Daniel Jokubaitis shooting well from three, and led 26-21 at the end of the first.

Second Quarter
Jordan Perkins stayed hot from deep, and after getting a smothered look to fall it seemed it wouldn't be UCD Marian's night. Graham had a nice chasedown block, but Tralee's Daniel Jokubaitis hit another three, and Tralee built a 13-point lead by shooting well and running in transition. Isaiah Taylor then put in a shift, hitting multiple threes, getting to the basket and the foul line. Taylor scored 26 first-half points, and UCD went into the break just one point down, 53-52.

Third Quarter
UCD’s big men took over, led by Christian Alexander, who played bully ball and dominated the boards. Tanner Graham added another block. Tralee’s Jordan Perkins scored a mid-range pull-up off a nice crossover, but Taylor kept feeding Alexander’s hot hand, even with Tralee’s Daniel Jokubaitis unfortunately going down injured. Tralee managed to swing momentum back in their favor with good team basketball and led 75-71 going into the fourth.

Fourth Quarter
UCD’s squad delivered in the clutch. Matthew McGrath had a chasedown block, and back-to-back steals from other players helped UCD pull away. Tanner Graham and Cristian Alexander linked up again off a Graham cut to take the lead. Christian Alexander scored a clutch hook shot and a big three from Ronan Byrne then helped seal the win, 104-93