Flyers book semi-finals place with big win on aggregate
BFlyers advanced to the BBL play-offs semifinals following an 82-81 victory at SGS College Arena on Sunday.
The win gave Flyers a 179-152 aggregate success across both legs, having beaten Manchester 97-71 on Thursday.
Mike Miller led the Flyers with 17 points and nine rebounds, with Thomas Bell also packing the stat line with 16 points and six steals.
The game started off strong for the Flyers, who opened an early 9-0 lead behind the hot shooting of Malcolm Delpeche and Mike Miller, on their way to combining for 27 points on the night.
Giants managed to weather the storm and battle back, thanks in part to the scoring efforts of Tajh Green, who got the Giants scoring tally underway with a clean one from the baseline. Maintaining their momentum, the Flyers held a 25-18 lead by the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, both teams traded blows as they battled for control of the game. Bristol continued to shoot efficiently from beyond the arc, with VJ King and Jelani Watson-Gayle turning up when needed. However, the Giants refused to waiver, with Rahmon Fletcher and Anthony Roberson spearheading the charge.
Exploiting Bristol’s intense defensive appetite, the Giants found themselves at the free-throw line considerably – finishing the first half going 14/17 from the charity stripe.
A last-minute burst from the Flyers prevented a Giants takeover, holding a 47-43 lead, but the game was far from over.
In a rollercoaster second half, the Giants constructed a competitive start, though would struggle to put a dent in their 26-point deficit sustained in the first-leg game, leaving them with a mountain to climb.
However, the Manchester team came out fighting and kept the game close during the second half.
Dirk Williams made a crucial three-pointer to get the game tied up. Despite a quieter first half than usual for Williams, the electrifying shooter finished with 18 by the time the buzzer sounded.
Roberson provided additional ammunition to Manchester’s comeback efforts, navigating past the Bristol defence with great technical ability.
However, the Flyers responded with a vengeance, Bell III sinking a contested three-point shot to regain the lead.
An entertaining three-pointer exchange emerged with the lead swaying for both teams.
Fletcher finished off the third quarter with a clean drive and stop jumpshot, but trailed to the Flyers at the third quarter, 66-63.
A big put-back dunk from Roberson reignited Manchester’s comeback quest, but a hasty Flyers run built up to a 10-point advantage, with the score lingering at 77-67 midway through. Nate Robinson made his minutes count off the bench for Manchester, delivering a crafty left-to-right reverse finish, but it was to only be a consolation basket, as the Flyers continued to keep hold on a sizable lead.
Manchester carved out a scoring run in the closing minutes, but the chance to go to the semi-final stage was put beyond the pail.
» This report first appeared on www.bristolflyers.co.uk.