Friday 13 March 2015 Worcester Wolves 89-73 Durham Wildcats

Worcester Wolves cruised past Durham Wildcats on Friday to keep their hold on second place in the British Basketball League as the season’s climax approaches.

A barrage of three-pointers bought a commanding nineteen-point lead for the hosts by half-time, before a fightback from an understrength Durham kept the 89-73 final score-line respectable.

Captain Alex Owumi floated home a double of outside successes within a minute of the tip-off. Recent recruit Robertas Bitinas did likewise to build a 12-4 lead after three minutes had elapsed. Centre Robert Thurman took to the air from as far back as the free-throw line to jam the ball through the hoop with authority, and it looked as if a Friday the Thirteenth horror show was on the cards.

Bitinas displayed unerring confidence to slot in two more three-pointers before the first quarter had ended. A 29-20 advantage increased when Dejan Radojevic opened his scoring account.

As Bitinas took a breather, Caylin Raftopoulos took his turn in the spotlight to rattle in a couple of triples, while Owumi also continued to torment the Wildcat defenders and delight a large University Arena crowd.

At 55-36 entering the locker rooms, there looked to be little way back for Durham. The Wolves’ advantage maximised at 66-43 once Owumi had nailed his sixth shot from outside the arc, before the Wildcats’ resistance finally stiffened. British guard David Buchberger took the last six points of the third quarter to return the deficit to 74-55.

Further baskets for Buchberger and for his backcourt partner Chris Jones kept the Durham side of the scoreboard ticking, while Worcester’s offence stalled. A paltry four points from the Wolves in the initial seven minutes of the final period put the evening at 78-64. With the match decided, both teams loosened up to allow a burst of scoring as the clock wound down.

Owumi led the way with 25 points, followed by 18 points for Bitinas. Thurman grabbed his by now-traditional double-double of numbers, with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Buchberger top-scored for Durham with 25 points.

Coach Paul James confirmed that the game went as planned, saying: “With Durham short-handed, we knew they would sit in a zone all night to avoid players fouling out. We practiced for that this week, and it paid off with the way we shot the ball so well.”

It will be a fortnight before Worcester are next in action with a trip to Leeds Force on Friday 27 March. Asked if he foresaw the BBL newcomers as a potential banana skin, James replied: “Only if we don’t show up. We now have a couple of weeks for players to rest up, get over one or two niggling injuries, and to ready us for the final push to the playoffs.”

Following the matchup with Leeds, Wolves will return to the University of Worcester Arena on Good Friday for a showdown meeting with league leaders the Newcastle Eagles. Newcastle have lost just two games in the league this campaign, both times to the Wolves.