WOLVES head coach Paul James hailed his team for showing a lot of character in their 91-84 victory over Manchester Giants at the Trafford Powerleague Arena on Sunday.
The win over the British Basketball League’s (BBL) basement-side, which saw just seven players make the trip to the North-West including freshman Mark Jacobs, moves Wolves up to seventh in the table.
The visitors shutout Giants for the first four minutes while surging to 16 points, which saw Andrew Bachman rattle in an impressive triple of three-pointers.
Jacobs the proceeded to show no nerves as he spun beneath the basket for his opening score, aiding a 31-16 first period lead.
When Giants diverted resources to deter further Bachman attacks, Danny Huffor was the next man to flourish, stacking up twelve second quarter points.
But the hosts made a comeback after the interval when guard Jerelle Okoro tallied a quick-fire ten points and former Worcester favourite Callum Jones netted a double of buckets to pull matters back to 69-60.
A series of powerful moves from forward Samuel Toluwase and further scores from Jones continued to reduce Wolves’ advantage late in the game, but the visitors held on to claim their third BBL win of the season.
Huffor and Bachman top-scored for Wolves with 21 points apiece, closely followed by Alex Navajas with 19.
James said: “I’m delighted to get a win on the road in difficult circumstances. We began really well, lost our way a little as guys got tired from playing extended minutes, but showed a lot of character to close out the win.
“Andrew couldn’t miss in the first quarter and attracted defenders after that, while Mark took his chance to impress and handled himself well. He’s one to look out for in the future.
“Foul trouble meant we couldn’t be as aggressive as we would have liked on defence, but we certainly showed improvement from recent games.”
The win comes off the back of a 87-67 defeat to Newcastle Eagles at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday night, where Trevor Setty and Jermel Kennedy top-scored for Wolves with 16 points apiece.
Wolves host Surrey Scorchers this Sunday in the quarter-final of the BBL Cup (tip off 4pm).
*THE UNIVERSITY of Worcester has named Dale Ryan as its new Director of Basketball.
The experienced Aussie will take up the role in the New Year, where he will oversee the strategic development of all forms of basketball within the University setting, as well as work alongside Wolves head coach Paul James.