|
After the first-leg of the Cup Winners' Cup the advantage is with
the Guildford Heat after an 83-77
 victory for the BBL Champions at
the Plymouth Pavilions on Sunday. The return leg is Saturday 15
September at The Spectrum, with the winner being decided by
aggregate score.
Last year's BBL MVP Brian Dux paced the winners with 17 points,
matched by his captain Mike Martin. DeAntoine Beasley led all
scorers with 23 points for the Raiders.
The teams traded baskets in the early exchanges until the Heat
opened the game up with an 8-0 burst. That set the tone for the
first-half as they took an 11-4 lead which they maintained through
to 20-13 after the opening ten minutes.
*** Purchase photos
from this match.
Click Here
***
They stretched the lead early in the second period with an 11-5
start that was followed soon afterwards by an 8-2 burst as the lead
peaked at 40-22. The Raiders finished the half strongly with a 7-1
response, but the Heat scored the last bucket and led 29-43 at the
interval.
In front of their home fans, the Raiders came storming back in the
third stanza as consecutive triples from Gaylon Moore and DeAntoine
Beasley narrowed the deficit to three points at 53-56 before the
Heat notched the last two baskets to maintain their edge at 53-60.
The Raiders completed a commendable comeback with 9 unanswered
points to open the fourth quarter to give them a 62-60 lead. There
were six lead changes in the ensuing minutes and the teams were
knotted at 75 before
 the Heat's big men took charge. A basket from
Mike Martin gave the visitors the decisive lead at 75-77 before two
baskets from new signing Tony Dorsey and one from Carlton Aaron, a
former Raider, finished the game off.
The Raiders will now have to overturn a six-point deficit at The
Spectrum in order to raise the Cup Winners’ Cup, it is however a
venue in which they have never won.
Words:
BBL Web Site
Photos:
Damian Pudner
*** Purchase/view
other photos from this match.
Click Here
***
|
