Eagles get a right Royal thumping
CAPITAL MISERY CONTINUES
Victor Moses fought hard for the Eagles but his efforts were not enough as Fab Flournoy’s men lost by 17 to the London City Royals LONDON CITY ROYALS NEWCASTLE EAGLES 98 81 NEWCASTLE Eagles slumped to their second capital defeat in as many nights as London City Royals surged clear in the late stages to secure a thumping 17-point win.
Fab Flournoy’s side looked dispirited and dismayed as the final buzzer sent them home pointless from their latest back-to-back weekend.
The Eagles will now have virtually a fortnight’s rest and recuperation before they take to the court again in the first leg of a BBL Cup semi-final clash against last Friday night’s conquerors London Lions.
On the evidence of last night, the Cup might be Newcastle’s best chance of silverware this campaign. They have already lost four times in the BBL Championship this season.
Last night’s clash was billed as an opportunity for the Royals to get revenge for the 110-60 drubbing the Eagles dished out at Sport Central last month.
And the hosts showed they are not to be taken lightly with a superb second-half performance which tore the fight and heart out of a tired-looking Eagles squad. Victor Moses battled gamely all night and Rahmon Fletcher and Darius Defoe gave great support for the Eagles. But apart from a brief flurry towards the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second, Newcastle always looked on the back foot against a London side which showed that they’re clearly a force to be reckoned with despite this being their first year in the BBL. The opening of the game saw Newcastle’s big men and normal inside threats, Defoe and Moses both knock down more unfamiliar triples as the visitors looked to build another large score. At this point the Eagles had a bit momentum and around the quarters break sneaked in to a nine-point lead, with the score at 26-17. However, led by ex-Eagle Orlan Jackman and Great Britain international Matthew Bryan-Amaning, the home side gradually forced their way back in to the game.
Fletcher scored from the free-throw line with the last action of the first half but the Eagles’ lead had been cut to just two points.
London levelled the game as the second half opened but six points from Moses edged his side back in front at 54-50. It was then that once again the wheels came off the Newcastle wagon.
The Royals turned up the heat at both ends of the floor and the pressure burst them through the Eagles ranks with 15 unanswered points.
Kyle Williams stopped the rot with a triple but the home side motored on in the third and the 36-20 score line in the period told the story, giving Newcastle a massive 14 points to find in the final quarter.
They started well with a couple of baskets from Moses and a triple from Fletcher to cut the gap to eight and force a home time-out.
That steadied the Royals’ nerves and they hit back with an 11-4 run that effectively sealed the game and gave head coach Flournoy and his beaten roster a long ride home to think about things and to re-group before that forthcoming Cup semi-final with London’s other BBL outfit.