BBL 2016-17 – Week 4 Recaps

Week Four of the BBL season saw seven of the eight games won by the road team with just two teams left unbeaten..

Here’s a rundown of what happened at the weekend..

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14/10 – London Lions maintained their unbeaten start to the season with an impressive 78-88 road win against Newcastle Eagles.

The Lions had not won a league encounter in Newcastle since 2003, but produced a strong finish to come away with victory.

• Quarter scores: 23-18, 17-28, 21-21, 17-21
• Key moment – The Eagles had regained control with a 10-0 run in the fourth and were up 75-70 before the Lions responded with 14 unanswered to snatch victory.
• Biggest lead – Newcastle made a strong start and led by as many as eight at 18-10 in the opening period. A stunning 18-3 finish gave the Lions their biggest lead of 10 points having been up by eight early in the fourth before the Eagles’ turnaround.
• Eagles stats – Joe Hart got the Eagles going in the fourth with nine points including a four-point play on his way to a team-high 18 points. Rahmon Fletcher added 16 points with the Eagles missing Deondre Parks through injury.
• Lions stats – Kai Williams top scored with 23 points, while Rashad Hassan proved a constant threat in the paint and finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Zaire Taylor and Alex Owumi were kept quiet in scoring, but Jamal Williams stepped up with 17 points.

Box score.

14/10 – Glasgow Rocks started their weekend double-header on the road with an 81-94 victory away at Worcester Wolves.

Sterling Davis’ side produced a dominant second quarter en route to a 13-point win for their second league success in three games.

• Quarter scores: 28-19, 11-33, 23-22, 19-20
• Key moment – The Rocks were down by nine at the end of the first, but scored 12 straight to start the second as they racked up 33 points in the period to turn the game around and they were not troubled in the second half.
• Biggest lead – Wolves made a strong start to race into a double-digit advantage and led 26-14 on the back of a 7-0 run in the first quarter. The Rocks rallied and then stretched their lead after half-time with an and-1 from Achara making it 54-72 late in the third.
• Wolves stats – Worcester’s bench outscored their opponents by 20, aided by Andrew Bachman‘s 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Trevor Setty added 14 points, while the four other starters shot below 40% from the field with Jermel Kennedy also in double figures with 11 points.
• Rocks stats – Kieron Achara converted 73% of 15 attempts inside the arc on his way to 26 points whilst adding nine rebounds. Anthony Elechi provided extra damage in the paint with 8-of-11 in his 20 points with Hayden Lescault (16) and Gareth Murray (14) combining for a further 30 points.

Box score.

14/10 – Leicester Riders recorded their fifth straight league victory as they brushed aside Leeds Force in ruthless fashion with a 39-103 success.

The defending champions lost their last league encounter in Leeds, but made no mistake on this occasion with a crushing 64-point victory.

• Quarter scores: 15-25, 12-27, 7-30, 5-21
• Key moment – Hopes were raised of a competitive battle when Leeds made a solid start and trailed 11-12 before the Riders pulled away with back-to-back triples. The defence stifled their opponents and conceded just 12 points in the whole of the second half.
• Biggest lead – Leeds were never ahead in the game as the Riders enjoyed a comfortable tip-to-buzzer success and were up by as many as 65 points when Eric Robertson netted a three to make it 36-101.
• Force stats – Just one player reached double figures with Jermaine Sanders netting a third of his side’s points with 13. The rest of the team managed just 10 field goals between them with Force held to below 25% shooting on a rough night. Rob Marsden returned from injury.
• Riders stats – Drew Sullivan led the way with 18 points as all nine active players scored 7+ points. Shane Walker posted a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds from the bench with Taylor King adding 11 and 11.

Box score.

14/10 – Surrey Scorchers ended a run of five straight league defeats as they held off Sheffield Sharks for a 76-81 triumph on the road.

Creon Raftopoulos’ side pulled clear in the middle periods as they improved to 1-5 in the league.

• Quarter scores: 16-16, 23-30, 12-19, 25-16
• Key moment – After an even start, the Scorchers made their move and would open up a double-digit lead to take into the fourth and held off the hosts’ fightback as they closed to within three on a 13-3 run.
• Biggest lead – Sharks never led after holding a 16-15 advantage in the opening period and the Scorchers stretched out to a 17-point lead at 45-62 in the third before eventually securing their first win.
• Sharks stats – Tony Wroblicky had another strong showing for the Sharks with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting along with nine rebounds, while Mike Tuck posted a 17-point, 14-rebound double-double.
• Scorchers stats – The visitors were more efficient inside the arc with 57% 2P success rate with all five starters hitting double figures. Mike Ochereobia had 17 points and 11 boards, while American trio Quincy Taylor, Jay Bowie and Chaz Rollins equally shared 52 points.

Box score.

15/10 – Sheffield Sharks then bounced back from Friday’s loss with a narrow 57-59 victory away at Bristol Flyers.

Just 42 combined points were scored in the first half before a close finish ensued with Sharks closing out the win.

• Quarter scores: 9-12, 9-12, 19-14, 20-21
• Key moment – After their poor shooting start, Bristol spent most of the game chasing a deficit and clawed it back to tie the game at 55-55 with 1:21 left. Mike Tuck edged Sharks back ahead and they were able to hold on.
• Biggest lead – The Flyers opened with three consecutive free throws for a 3-0 lead and never had a bigger advantage with their last lead at 5-4 despite tying at 34 and 55 later in the game. Sheffield had a 10-point lead in the second period.
• Flyers stats – Leslee Smith tallied a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds with Brandon Boggs the only other player in double figures with 11. The Flyers struggled from the field and were held to 31% whilst going 4-of-22 from beyond the arc.
• Sharks stats – The visitors were led by captain Mike Tuck as he put up 20 points and nine rebounds in the win. Colin Sing played his role off the bench well with nine points, three boards and three steals with Tony Wroblicky and Zach Gachette adding 10 points apiece.

Box score.

15/10 – Glasgow Rocks made it two wins from two on the road this weekend with a 69-84 triumph away at Surrey Scorchers.

Sterling Davis’ side recorded their third league win after a strong second-half performance sealed the victory.

• Quarter scores: 17-24, 24-13, 16-30, 12-17
• Key moment – Surrey had established a lead going into half-time, but the Rocks came out firing with 30 points in the third to take control and they never looked back.
• Biggest lead – An impressive 22-4 spell from the Scorchers saw them open up a 37-28 advantage before the Rocks battled back with an 18-2 run across quarters to move ahead before earning a 15-point success.
• Scorchers stats – Will Neighbour netted 20 points from the bench on 70% shooting, while Quincy Taylor dished out six assists to go with 11 points. The hosts shot above 40% from downtown, but made just 17-of-41 attempts from inside the arc.
• Rocks stats – Hayden Lescault didn’t miss inside the 3-point line on his way to 18 points with Kieron Achara also putting up 18 points in the win. Lewis Thomson contributed 17 points and eight boards from the bench.

Box score.

16/10 – Plymouth Raiders picked up their third league win of the season after crushing Manchester Giants 114-63 at home, on Sunday.

It was the club’s largest winning margin in BBL history as they returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion.

• Quarter scores: 35-10, 35-18, 27-22, 17-13
• Key moment – The Raiders made a strong start and a 17-2 close to the opening quarter put them up by 25 points and there was no coming back from that for the Giants, though they kept up their fight in the second half.
• Biggest lead – Manchester led at 2-3 on a three from Yorick Williams, but the game went downhill, and fast from there as their opponents jumped out to a 70-28 lead at the break. Plymouth’s lead hit 58 points in the fourth, but conceded the final seven points of the game.
• Raiders stats – Anton Grady had 25 points at the half and finished with 28 with his four fellow starters also in double figures. Daryl Corletto netted 22 points and dished out seven assists, while Donte Nicholas added six assists and six steals to an 18-point haul.
• Giants stats – A tough afternoon for the Giants, but further encouragement from Jerelle Okoro, who had a couple of big plays on his way to 15 points. Callum Jones added 14, but again the Giants looked short of depth.

Box score.

16/10 – Leicester Riders held off a spirited challenge from Cheshire Phoenix as they claimed a 90-100 road success to maintain their unbeaten start.

Tyler Bernardini netted eight triples from nine attempts in a 32-point haul to help the Riders go six out of six for the new season.

• Quarter scores: 13-22, 34-30, 21-22, 22-26
• Key moment – The home side were still within touching distance at 75-81 in the fourth but the Riders came up with big plays at both ends to pull away and close out their sixth straight victory.
• Biggest lead – Despite Leicester never being comfortably ahead until the closing stages, they never trailed by more than a single point. Cheshire took the lead on a 15-3 run in the second and last led at 36-35. Riders’ biggest advantage was in the final minute at 84-98.
• Phoenix stats – Earl Brown finished with 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in a strong display, while Josh Fox added 20 points and Josh Wilcher and Marcel Mosley had 16 points apiece.
• Riders stats – The Riders shot 15-of-30 from downtown with Tyler Bernardini putting up 32 points with just one miss in 12 field goal attempts. Brandon Clark added scoring support with 23 points and dished out six assists.

Box score.

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Results: Friday – Newcastle Eagles 78-88 London Lions, Leeds Force 39-103 Leicester Riders, Worcester Wolves 81-94 Glasgow Rocks, Sheffield Sharks 76-81 Surrey Scorchers; Saturday – Surrey Scorchers 69-84 Glasgow Rocks, Bristol Flyers 57-59 Sheffield Sharks; Sunday – Plymouth Raiders 114-63 Manchester Giants, Cheshire Phoenix 90-100 Leicester Riders

Standings: Riders 6-0; Eagles 4-1; Lions 3-0; Rocks/Raiders 3-1; Sharks 3-4; Flyers/Force 1-2; Phoenix/Wolves 1-3; Scorchers 1-6; Giants 0-4

Hoopsfix Star 5: Donte Nicholas, Tyler Bernardini, Jamal Williams, Mike Tuck, Kieron Achara

Keep an eye out for this week’s Top 10 coming soon!