Worcester Wolves got back to form with a 91-80 road win at Plymouth University Raiders in the BBL Championship on Saturday night, as Perris Blackwell’s monster double-double extended their winning run in Plymouth to three years.
BBL Championship
Plymouth University Raiders 80 (31,45,60) (Corletto 24, Wilcher 16, Vigor 15)
Worcester Wolves 91 (28,48,65) (Blackwell 20, Cameron 16, Couisnard 14)
Plymouth University Raiders 80 (31,45,60) (Corletto 24, Wilcher 16, Vigor 15)
Worcester Wolves 91 (28,48,65) (Blackwell 20, Cameron 16, Couisnard 14)
Worcester Wolves won 91-80 on the road at Plymouth University Raiders on Saturday night to put consecutive defeats behind them and maintain the pressure on the top two in the BBL Championship. Perris Blackwell led the Wolves with a double-double of 20 points and 14 rebounds, and they have now won six in a row against Plymouth, unbeaten on Raiders’ home floor since December 2012.
Although it didn’t initially look like they would maintain that record as Raiders, buoyed by their first win of the season last time out on this floor, took a 31-28 lead at the end of the first quarter after Daryl Corletto hit a trio of three-pointers for 15 earl points. Raiders were playing with intensity early on, scoring 13 points on fast breaks as Wolves looked heavy-legged after Fridaynight’s defeat to Cheshire Phoenix.
But Wolves turned the game around just before half time, when Jay Couisnard and Disraeli Lufadeju connected from long-range in a 9-2 finish to the first half, putting the visitors up 48-45 – Wolves having come into the game with the league’s worst three-point shooting record, but hitting 66% by the half in this game.
Worcester carried that momentum into the third period, as they added another eight points unanswered, sparked by Ashton Khan; and Javier Mugica’s triple saw them flirting with a double-digit lead at 61-52.
The hosts came back, but Josh Cameron’s buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the third quarter at 64-60 proved decisive, and especially so when he added another early in the fourth to push the lead further out. It reached double-figures for the first time when Pavol Losonsky made it 79-69, and stayed there for the remainder.
| P | PL | W | L | Pts | |
| 1 | Esh Group Eagles Newcastle | 9 | 9 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | Leicester Riders | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| 3 | Worcester Wolves | 9 | 7 | 2 | 14 |
| 4 | Leeds Force | 11 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
| 5 | London Lions | 7 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| 6 | Cheshire Phoenix | 10 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| 7 | Surrey Scorchers | 7 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| 8 | Sheffield Sharks | 8 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| 9 | Bristol Flyers | 9 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
| 9 | Glasgow Rocks | 9 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
| 11 | Manchester Giants | 10 | 3 | 7 | 6 |
| 12 | Plymouth University Raiders | 8 | 1 | 7 | 2 |