Worcester Wolves fight back to beat Bristol Flyers in BBL Cup

Worcester Wolves maintained their unbeaten start to the season after a 96-94 comeback win at Bristol Flyers on Saturday.

Any chance of success looked remote with Bristol leading 60-38 five minutes into the second half of the match.

A pulsating fightback, however, closed the deficit to 82-76 entering the final minute of the evening.

Consecutive three-pointers from Maarten Bouwknecht and Mark Hughes pushed the contest into overtime.

Inspired by a 35-point performance from Cortez Edwards, Worcester defied fatigue as players fouled out of the action to take the spoils and stay at the top of their BBL Cup pool.

Coach Matt Newby praised his players’ fighting spirit, saying: “To be competitive in this league you need to be resilient in nature and show a strong self-awareness.

“I have asked players to be individually accountable and collectively responsible for outcomes - the last 15 minutes was a step towards that.

“I just kept encouraging them to focus on the next play and the team responded well.”

A pedestrian beginning to the evening saw over three minutes elapse before Wolves’ first points from the field.

Their continuing offensive struggles allowed Flyers to race to a points total twice that of their opponents at 28-14 as the second quarter opened.

A 48-32 half-time advantage would widen further before Worcester finally drew a line in the sand. A series of powerful layups from Jordan Williams featured in the turnaround.

Bristol’s Marcus Delpeche was penalised with a technical foul for flopping in the face of a Hughes attack.

The hosts’ composure weakened as they were pressured into shot-clock and backcourt violations.

When Edwards was fouled as he drained a long-range shot, a rare four-point profit went into the books, narrowing the deficit to 64-59.

Williams picked up his fifth foul to leave the court before the end of regulation time and Raheem May-Thompson was similarly dismissed as added time began.

The ongoing effervescence of the American duo of Edwards and Hughes was sufficient for their side to have the upper hand and secure the victory.

Edwards posted nine rebounds and nine assists to sit alongside his substantial points haul.

Hughes tallied 20 points, including five triples, while Bouwknecht and Williams grabbed 18 points apiece.

“Cortez was incredibly resolute,” added Newby. “By his own standards he started slower than usual but came out punching in the second and was clutch in overtime.

“He was a catalyst when we needed him but the unique contribution of each player was the determining factor.

At different junctures there were some huge plays across the board from the likes of Jordan, Maarten and Mark, and that’s exciting.”

Wolves will return to the University of Worcester Arena this Friday, October 11, (tip off 7.30pm), to welcome the joint leaders of their BBL Cup pool, London City Royals, who are spearheaded by Great Britain playmaker Andrew Lawrence.

“Royals are very much a hot topic,” said Newby. “Andrew Lawrence is simply a class act. He has had a really strong career in Europe and his game reflects higher learning. In short I think he is one of the toughest individuals in the league.

“The Royals complement this all-star signing with quality in Will Neighbour, Ed Lucas, Orlan Jackman, Will Saunders and Elvisi Dusha. This domestic core is very impressive and will present significant challenges in terms of match ups.”

Kofi Josephs and Merrill Holden have been forced to sit out Wolves’ last two matches through injury.

“Both are being monitored and we will have a better understanding of timelines for their return by midweek, following assessment,” explained Newby.

Photo caption: Cortez Edwards. Photo, Keith Hunt.