Friday 14 November Worcester Wolves 90-81 Manchester Giants

Worcester Wolves consolidated their hold on second place in the British Basketball League with an assured 90-81 victory over Manchester Giants at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday.

Giants came into the match as the only team to have inflicted a league defeat on the Wolves, having won 93-83 in October. Last month’s encounter featured a strong second half comeback from the Giants. There was a similar resurgence this time round, with Manchester even edging a point ahead with four minutes remaining. However, on this occasion Worcester kept their focus to re-gain the lead.

Captain Alex Owumi was the night’s leading scorer with 25 points, including six triples. Robert Thurman also especially impressed with a double-double performance of 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Both sides came out firing from the tip-off. By the close of the first period, Owumi had already sunk a trio of three-pointers, with Wolves’ forwards Remi Dibo and Jamal Williams also successful from distance. Former Worcester favourite David Watts opened his account with a three at the buzzer to keep his team in touch at 34-24.

The furious early pace understandably slowed in the second quarter, with a switch in emphasis to battles closer to the basket. 36-year-old Manchester centre Mike Bernard could initially only watch as his younger and quicker counterpart Thurman danced past him for a couple of scores. Refusing to be bowed, Bernard was able to roll back the years and display the veteran footwork that bought him a lengthy and lucrative career on the continent.

An eleven point half-time advantage for the hosts, at 53-42, was maintained by an even third period that ended at 70-59. But it was in the last quarter where the action  heated up.

Thurman provided a sky-hook score and Owumi once more connected from outside the arc to extend the lead to 75-61. With eight minutes remaining, Watts swished home a basket that ignited a 13-0 run for his side over the ensuing three minutes.  Latvian forward Ingus Bankevics pounced on a wayward Worcester pass and gleefully converted his steal into points. A three-pointer got the Giants’ noses in front at 76-77.

Emerging Wolves guard Disraeli Lufadeju thrilled home fans to re-take the lead with two and a half minutes left to play. Owumi finally put paid to the comeback when confidently floating in another triple

Coach Paul James was pleased to take the victory, saying: “We played pretty well. Yes we let them get back in the game towards the end, but I always felt confident that we would eventually get the win.”

Wolves are quickly back into action on Saturday night when they travel to lowly Surrey United in a re-arranged fixture. James warned that his team will need to remain focused for a game against a team at the far end of the league table, remarking: “Despite their record, Surrey can be dangerous, as they showed when we played them at our place a few weeks ago. I’ll be reminding the players to stay sharp and keep their minds on what we need to do.”

The next home outing for Wolves will take place at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday 28 November, versus Bristol Flyers.