Malcolm Depeche’s double-double led Bristol Flyers into the BBL Cup semi-finals, as his 18 points and 12 rebounds helped to secure a 95-76 victory over Manchester Giants.
Dominant performances around the floor helped to establish an unattainable lead late in the game, as physical play in the paint and a barrage of threes allowed Bristol to ease through the clash at SGS College.
“It was a real team performance,” said Flyers head coach Andrea Kapoulas. “We shot the ball well on the offensive end, 21-assists, we kept turnovers low, we had five guys in double-digits, different guys stepping up and making plays, and some good defence as well.”
Star man Delpeche opened the scoring with a two-handed throw-down and Flyers opened the game with an early 7-0 run. Dirk Williams and Tajh Green kept the visitors in the game throughout the first quarter.
The opening period was a strong one for Delpeche as he ended with eight-points without missing a shot. Jelani Watson-Gayle kept the scoreboard ticking, coming off the bench and posing a threat from deep with the first quarter ending 27-21 in favour of the hosts.
Foul trouble plagued the Giants as Flyers’ inside game remained aggressive. Starting bigs Green and Legend Robertin picked up three-fouls apiece - with Manchester head coach Vince Macaulay even handed a technical.
The Giants proceeded to pick up their play through Nathan Robinson, but after a time-out from Kapoulas, Bristol restored their grip on the game. VJ King knocked down the triple straight out of the stoppage and captain Mike Miller sealed the score at 52-39 going into half-time, with a coolly executed lay-up.
The guard matchup between Tevin Olison and Dirk Williams was exciting to watch in the third quarter. They traded triples early in the period before Manchester started to claw their way back into the tie. Rahmon Fletcher managed to get five points from his four-point-play attempt, putting back his missed free-throw for two.
Kapoulas once again called time and rallied his side who came out from the minute break with another seven-nothing run to widen the Flyers advantage again. Williams closed the quarter with a lay-in, with Bristol up by 16 and only ten minutes left of play.
Foul trouble continued to be a problem as Robertin and Green continued in the game. Another Olison shot from behind the arc took the advantage past 20 points for the first time in the game, as the home-team looked to cruise through the first-half of the final quarter.
The clock was against Manchester and Bristol capitalised on forced shot attempts. Watson-Gayle continued to shoot with the hot-hand and led the team in points, finishing with 21 personal. Giants had no answer to the deep-scores and Bristol ran out eventual 19-point winners.
The battle of the backcourt was the difference that coach Kapoulas highlighted: “I thought our guards Mike [Miller], Corey [Samuels], Jelani [Watson-Gayle] did a very good job on Fletch [Rahmon Fletcher]. He only finished the game with five-assists and six turnovers - that doesn’t happen too often, he’s a guy that averages 10-assists a game and I thought that was very important.”
Saturday’s win means that Bristol Flyers are through to the last four of the competition where they will have a home tie with London Lions in late December.
“Obviously to make it to the semi-final it’s great to be there,” Kapoulas added. “We don’t want to think too far ahead, in cup games previous performances don’t matter. It’s a knockout game and we’ve just got to play.
“They’re tough, they’re so talented. They have spells where they’re playing really well as a team. The thing for us will be to just stick to our game plan. Playing at home is a situation that is positive for us, but we know it’s going to be a difficult game.”
The Flyers’ next outing is a return to BBL Championship action when they host the strong defensive outfit Sheffield Sharks on Saturday, December 3.
