The team remains without a victory this season, with the match its third consecutive loss at the Mars Minerdome. 

In what was a promising start, Skoda Rush came out firing and scored the first seven points in a blistering opening two minutes.

While Sydney Uni responded, Rush established a 22-point to 14-point lead late in the first quarter. 

But momentum then swung in the Sparks’ favour, and when they took the lead for the first time at the start of the second quarter, Rush found itself playing catch up for the rest of the game. 

Coach David Flint labelled the loss as “disappointing”. 

“They are a good young team and they are very well coached, but it was a game that we were probably good enough to win,” he said.

“We jumped off to a great start… but they (Sydney Uni) scored the last five points of the first quarter and cut the lead to three and that was the start of a 16 to zip run – the game was lost right there.”

Flint said while there had been positives to come out of previous losses, he struggled to find them in this performance. 

“We just tend to have a lapse,” he said.

“When you take poor shots and then you can’t guard your player, it is a tough night.” 

Rush shot at just 28 per cent from the floor and made five out of 28 attempts from the three-point line, which Flint said had been costly. 

“We shouldn’t be a team that shoots a whole heap of threes,” Flint said. 

“That is not us and, stats-wise, it just goes to show we didn’t shoot a free throw up until the fourth quarter – and that isn’t on the referee, it is on how we played and the things we didn’t do. 

“Because if you catch and shoot threes, and you don’t drive and try and create shots, you don’t get fouled.”

Among the best players for Rush were Jaterra Bonds with 17 points and six rebounds and Joy Burke making a double double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. 

Rush will have another challenge as it hits the road to play Nunawading on Saturday, May 13. 

Flint said the team would need to work hard practice-wise and not quit.