Doncaster Eagles 71-91 Worcester Wolves

Saturday 14th January 2023

By Colin Taylor

Worcester Wolves are back on the winning trail after shooting down Doncaster Eagles 91-71 in South Yorkshire on Saturday.

After a couple of away defeats either side of the festive break, this resurgent win propels Wolves back into a top-four playoff spot in National Basketball League Division Two.

A quartet of Doncaster turnovers in the opening three minutes of the afternoon allowed Worcester to move into an early 6-3 lead.

Ian Vivero-Rodriguez announced his return to the team by forcing a 15-14 first quarter edge after going awry with a three-point attempt but then seeing teammate Lucas McGregor scoop up the rebound and set up a score.

Vivero-Rodriguez was back in the thick of matters during the second period, sinking two triples amongst a dozen personal points.

Evan Longman and Jacob Dearman both dispossessed their opponents to get on the scoreboard as Wolves rolled into half-time firmly in command at 46-31.

Matei Balteanu and McGregor were the feature of a 67-46 visiting advantage entering the final quarter of the contest.

Former Sheffield Sharks centre Rob Marsden posted seven points in the initial three minutes of the last period to close Doncaster’s deficit to 68-56, before Worcester once more stepped on the gas towards victory, led by a surge of Longman baskets.

Longman pulsed to 23 points, followed by 18 from Vivero-Rodriguez. Balteanu contributed a dozen points with McGregor and Isaiah Walker notching ten apiece. Walker also pulled down 13 rebounds to log a noteworthy double-double stat-line.

Marsden dominated the Eagles numbers with a 28 points/18 rebounds performance.

Wolves will complete their five-game road trip at Leicester Warriors in a fortnight’s time, on Saturday 28 January (3pm), ahead of a welcome return to the University of Worcester Arena on Saturday 4 February to meet Bristol Hurricanes.