Friday 24 April 2015 Worcester Wolves 75-80 London Lions

Worcester Wolves face a stern test if they are to retain their hold on the British Basketball League Play-Off title they celebrated last year at Wembley Arena. A 75-80 reversal against London Lions on Friday means that Wolves will have work to do to overturn the deficit in their quarter-final second leg in the capital this Sunday.

From the outset, neither side was able to pull decisively clear of the other. Wolves threatened to break away after establishing a seven-point cushion in the second quarter, but Lions roared back to create an eight-point lead of their own in the third quarter. The post-match statistics showed parity in all but two categories: Worcester surrendered the ball nearly twice as many times as their visitors, and also allowed London to hold sway close to the basket.

Lions’ centre Olumide Oyedeji displayed the talent that earned him a three season-stint in the NBA by forcing his way to a couple of early scores. It would take until nearly four minutes had elapsed before Wolves’ captain Alex Owumi gained his team’s first reply from the field.

A narrow 21-19 first period advantage grew to 30-26 once Jamal Williams and Robertas Bitinas had opened their scoring accounts. Bitinas was on target again to ease Wolves out to 33-26 by midway through the second period. Half-a-dozen points from last season’s Worcester fan favourite Zaire Taylor helped close the combatants to 39-37 by the interval.

As the second half opened Taylor connected with a long three-pointer, repeating the feat a minute later. However, Wolves’ Paul Guede burst to life with a trio of scores to keep the match close at 50-47 with five minutes of the half played.

The lead had see-sawed back to 58-60 entering the last ten minutes of the evening. A spell of ill-discipline would cost Wolves dear when Robert Thurman was called for his fourth foul as he battled to contain his counterpart Oyedeji, and Williams compounded matters by picking up a technical foul for disputing the referee’s decision.

Another triple from Guede kept the contest poised at 74-76 with just two minutes remaining. However, Worcester squandered late opportunities to regain the lead when Thurman was twice unable to keep his grasp on the ball with the Lions’ basket at his mercy. A large University of Worcester Arena crowd were relieved to see Taylor fail to connect with a long-distance effort as the final buzzer sounded.

Owumi led the Worcester scoring with 21 points, supported by Guede and Thurman’s 13 points apiece. Great Britain captain Andrew Sullivan top-scored for London with 17 points.

Wolves’ coach Paul James, while disappointed, maintained his optimism for the second leg, saying: “It was frustrating out there. We had players who were hot and cold. Every shot we took was a tough one and we allowed London to get too many cheap buckets.

“Having said that, we know we can do a much better job on Sunday. A five-point deficit is by no means insurmountable.”

After the match, Jamal Williams stepped forward to receive the Wolves’ Player of the Season Award. James gave praise to his second-year forward, saying: “Jamal has been tremendous for us all-season long. He is a true leader. He always gives his all and isn’t a guy who ever takes a day off.”