4.10.2015: Glasgow Rocks - Manchester Giants 81:71
Glasgow Rocks 81 (23,44,59) (Achara 22, Gillis 16, Hall 14)
Manchester Giants 71 (22,38,52) (Bankevics 18, Gill 15, Schall/Jones 12)
Glasgow Rocks claimed their first win of the 2015-16 season after beating Manchester Giants 81-71 at the Emirates Arena.
GB star and Rocks captain, Kieron Achara, led the way with 22 points including a composed 8-10 at the free throw line. Warren Gillis added a double-double of 16 points and 10 boards while Marcus Ware came off the bench to score an efficient 13 points on 6-7 shooting.
Sterling Davis’ Rocks moved clear with a strong run to close the first half and they never trailed again despite being pushed all the way by Manchester.
The first quarter was evenly contested with the lead no larger than five points for either side. Will Hall’s basket in the final minute edged Glasgow ahead at 23-22 at the end of the opening period.
In the second, Ingus Bankevics had the hot hand early on with seven of his 18 points to put the Giants up 26-35 three minutes in. However, the home side gained control by outscoring their opponents in an 18-3 spell to take a 44-38 advantage into the half-time interval.
Glasgow managed to remain in front throughout a tight third quarter when play resumed despite seeing their lead cut to a single point on more than one occasion.
A 9-2 run across the quarter breaks resulted in the lead growing into double digits. Midway through the final stanza, the Rocks had built a 15-point advantage and it proved too much for the visiting Giants to recover from.
The Rocks now prepare to face Leicester and Cheshire in a tricky double header weekend on the 10th and 11th October.