BBL Qualifiers
Manchester Giants 71-97 Bristol Flyers (23-18, 17-20, 10-28, 21-31)
(Giants – Lee 16, Fletcher 15, Green 14; Flyers – Ollison 29, Delbeche 16, King 15)
The BBL Playoffs started with an impressive win over the Bristol Flyers, defeating the Manchester Giants by 26 points at the National Basketball Performance Center.
Rookie Tevin Olison was the star of the show, scoring 29 points and shooting 7-10 from the three-point line. His second-half performance pushed Bristol to another level, after opening the competition for the match.
Third-placed Bristol had reason to be optimistic after defeating two-time champions London Lions in the regular season. Manchester United have been lacking momentum, having lost their last six matches, despite leading the charge in attack.
The tone was set early on by Manchester, who established themselves in Zone 2-3 early on and caused some problems for Bristol. A huge block of William Lee permeated their inner presence and established a lead on the other end.
Both teams fought hard on the boards during the physical opening period. It was evident that both teams were doing their best to gain the advantage.
Regular season leader and two-time league MVP Ramon Fletcher continued to facilitate at a high level, passing Ross Saunders in BBL pass totals early in the first quarter.
Vince Macaulay’s team led by five after the first quarter, as the Flyers remained within striking distance.
Flyers’ VJ King came into the game and made an immediate impact, after starting off the bench as head coach Andreas Capoulas turned things around.
Giants forward Lee kept him at arm’s length for Bristol, who dominated the first half from both ends. Taj Green joined the attack, with a series of aggressive impulses.
Despite their efforts, the home team was unable to keep the visitors away. Every time Manchester gained any kind of momentum, the Flyers fought back and managed to cut the deficit to just two points at the end of the half.
The second half was a little different. The Flyers tied the game within the first minute of the third quarter and Bristol really got there.
Tevin Oleson, who averaged 10 points a game in the regular season and only had three points in the first half, stepped up in a key way.
The Memphis native drained a contested three early in the third that seemed like a real sign of intent from the Flyers, as they began aggressively attacking Manchester.
They fed a hot hand and Olison caught fire, putting together a series of stellar finishes at the basket with a constant threat from behind the arc. With a 16-point lead on the guard, Bristol held a 16-point lead going into the final half.
“It was my first playoff game, as a rookie and I just wanted to prove I belonged. My mates did a good job finding me and I just dropped him,” Olison said after the game.
The Flyers swept their opponents on defensive end on fourth down, causing the Giants to earn every point they scored. Meanwhile, Bristol seemed to score as often as they wanted.
Manchester’s early threats were stifled by the Flyers’ defensive effort in the second half, as the outstanding first-half Lee could not score a point, and Fletcher was limited to just two assists during the period.
The game slipped out of the Giants’ grasp in the fourth, as they finished the first leg with a 26-point aggregate lead.
They now have the job on their hands and demand to perform all the time, as they travel to SGS College Arena on Sunday to play the win-or-go home game.