Friday 27 November 2015 Worcester Wolves 76-66 Leeds Force

Worcester Wolves coach Paul James applauded a solid defensive performance as he watched his players close the doors on any Black Friday bargains for Leeds Force in the first game of a doubleheader weekend.

After losing their last two outings at the University of Worcester Arena, James was pleased to see his charges provide a positive reaction with a 76-66 success, saying: “It was important to get back to winning ways, especially at home.

“Yes, there were a few moments of doubt here and there, but to only give up 66 points is a great defensive effort. We dug in and made it difficult for Leeds to get good shots.”

A month ago Wolves walloped their visitors with a 27-point margin of victory; it was a much tighter affair on this occasion with the hosts only pulling clear in the later stages.

In a satisfying spread of scorers, point guard Ashton Khan led the way on 20 points, with reliable centre Perris Blackwell following closely on 18 points. Javier Mugica also impressed with a double-double return of 12 points and 14 rebounds.

It was a nervy start to the evening with Wolves falling 9-15 behind after five minutes had elapsed and James signaling for a time out to talk it over. After the restart, Blackwell opened his account and then assisted Pavol Losonsky to do likewise. Two more first-quarter buckets from the American helped reverse the lead to 22-19 by the period’s end.

Finding hands in their faces as they attempted outside shots, and losing the battle inside against Blackwell and his fellow big man Ben Eaves, limited Leeds to just ten more first-half points. Meanwhile Worcester kept the scoreboard ticking to move further ahead at 36-29.

After their British seven-footer Zak Wells made his presence felt with a ferocious dunk, and their import pairing of DeAndre Bullard and Kwan Waller had finally begun to consistently connect, Leeds had dragged themselves back to trail by just 48-47.

However, Khan took control of the final quarter proceedings, confidently distributing the ball while still making his own shots. On one play he amazed the crowd by spinning around defenders and still converting despite falling to the floor as he was fouled. With their defensive intensity now back on show, Wolves were able to ride to the win.

Looking ahead to Saturday’s trip to Bristol Flyers, James added: “Leeds showed that every team in this league needs to be respected. Bristol will provide a similar challenge. We’ll get our rest now and hopefully get the job done again.”