Match Report: Giants 96 – 93 Eagles
Giants comeback in empathic fashion to snatch the W.
![MORE](<strong>The Manchester Giants edge out The Newcastle Eagles 96-93 as the Eagles see their wings clipped in the north west. </strong>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">9th Travelled to 4th in tonight’s BBL Championship tie. The Manchester Giants, coming off the back of a convincing win against Bristol. Newcastle on the other hand, are coming off the back of a narrow defeat against the league leaders. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">A rocky start from the Giants. Scoreless in the opening handful of possessions made worse as Newcastle connected with a three ball. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;"><img class=" wp-image-19448 alignleft" src="https://manchestergiants.com/wp-content/uploads/AHM_1307-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="242" height="161" />Manchester found their feet however as Rahmon Fletcher connected twice from the line. Further padded via a close make from Tajh Green. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Manchester kept plugging away and after back to back close makes from Legend Robertin. Coupled with a three ball by Tajh Green kept the Giants hot on the heels of newcastle. After being provider for Robertin, Rahmon Fletcher also turned scorer as he drove into the paint with his signature left handed finger roll. Fletcher connected not once but twice with that move which even saw him go to the line and convert the and one. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">The National Basketball Performance Centre were treated to a signature Tajh Green dunk. A baseline drive from Kofi Josephs who kicked it out to the edge of the elbow. Tajh Green found himself in possession. After debating a three he faked it to shake off the defender and then drove baseline for a two handed flush that blew the roof of the arena. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite highlight plays, the Giants found themselves trailing at the end of the first quarter, 22-26. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Josephs and Dirk Williams connected from deep, proving that this game was far from over. This was further reinforced by Nick Lewis. The Giants spark plug connected from close after a dish from Kofi Josephs. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Manchester later endured a dry spell during the midway point of the quarter. Until Kofi Josephs connected from deep once again to get the Giants ticking once more. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Josephs wasn't done there as he connected from way downtown with range that would make Damian Lillard proud. The man has never seen a shot he doesn't like. </span>
https://twitter.com/McrGiants/status/1637508931617447937
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite this, The Giants headed into the half down by double digits. Captain Rahmon led the team in points with 13 and the game in assists with 6. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Life was spent at the free throw line during quarter number 3. Consistent danger down low leading to multiple conversions at the line. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">The constant barrage from close range didnt stop. The Manchester Giants kept hitting the Newcastle Eagles on the interior and making it hurt every time as the Eagles lead slowly crumbled. A Tajh Green put back equalled the match up. An Anthony Roberson three ball from the corner put the Giants in the driving seat. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">That was short lived however as Newcastle’s David Cohn connected with a three ball with 12 seconds left. This saw Newcastle lead the Giants by 3 to end the 3rd. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Newcastle established a healthy lead once more through Javion Hamlet, David Cohn, Justin Gordon and the hand of Kyle Johnson who was at 20 on the evening. This meant the Giants had to dig deep in order to gain a result. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Dig deep they did. The Giants kicked it up a gear towards the end of the 4th quarter. Tajh Green and Anthony Roberson trying to destroy the rim coupled with the hot hand of Dirk Williams the</span>
<img class="wp-image-19449 alignright" src="https://manchestergiants.com/wp-content/uploads/AHM_2057-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="218" height="145" />Giants manage to tie the game. A kick out to Roberson who connected with a deep two. Putting the Giants ahead by 2.
<span style="font-weight: 400;">A Nick Lewis free throw in the final seconds was enough the put the game on ice for the Giants. A victory snatched from the jaws of defeat. </span>
<b>Head Coach Vince Macaulay said: " This is a typical game night at the Manchester Giants. The most exciting basketball team in the country. The most exciting players and the most unbelievable fans". </b>
Tickets are available to see the Manchester Giants take on the 8th placed Plymouth City Patriots on March 31st. Tickets are available using the link below.
<a href="https://manchestergiants.com/tickets/">https://manchestergiants.com/tickets/</a>
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![MORE](<strong>The Manchester Giants travelled up to the dizzying heights of the Scottish north to take on the Caledonia Gladiators. Last time these two teams faced one another it was the Scottish outfit who took the spoils 91-73. </strong>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">With the bolstering of Kofi Joseph’s the Manchester Giants looked for retribution and an advantage in the head to head matchup being currently tied at 1 a piece. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Dirk Williams drew first blood as he pulled up from the right elbow to sink his first three of the evening. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">The first Caledonia lead was short-lived. Sloan connected from deep. But before the Gladiators could regroup, Anthony Roberson slashed into the paint and shoved an easy make down the throats of Caledonia. <img class=" wp-image-19425 alignleft" src="https://manchestergiants.com/wp-content/uploads/Giants-2-300x218.jpg" alt="" width="179" height="130" /></span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Legend Robertin made his presence felt early. Consistent trips to the line and putting the gladiator centres into early foul trouble. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Caledonia took the first quarter by 9. 6 turnovers in the first half seemingly the Achilles heel. A bright start going 3-3 to begin with continued as going 1-10 from the field in the rest of the quarter. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">A lively start for the Giants in quarter 2. Manchester went on a 7-0 scoring run in the first 2 minutes to cut a 9 point lead to a single possession game. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Caledonia recover and re-establish their lead with a plethora of fast breaks off the back of turnovers. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">A stroke of genius from Nick Lewis. A cut inside which resulted in him backing down his defender. Lewis threw up a fadeaway that was deflected. The ball found its way back into the hands of the Giants spark plug who drains from three. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">A high speed first half finished in favour of Caledonia. They found themselves ahead by the break. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">A difficult start to the third quarter for Manchester. Their adversaries extend their lead to double digits and to as large as 14. Through the combined efforts of Anthony Roberson and Dirk Williams, the giants reduced the deficit to 9 in what was a swing in momentum. <img class=" wp-image-19426 alignright" src="https://manchestergiants.com/wp-content/uploads/Giants-3-300x183.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="134" /></span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Manchester started to plug away at the Gladiators, aggressive basketball consistently hammering and slashing into the paint in order to attempt to break down the home side. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite efforts from Manchester to narrow the lead. Consistent trips to the charity stripe by Caledonia undid the efforts of a slow paced, defensive oriented quarter. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">A pair of threes from Kofi Joseph’s and Anthony Roberson ended a third quarter where the giants outscored their opponents 19-17 in the third quarter. Despite this, they still found themselves trailing by 10.</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Dirk Williams connected from three once more. A three from the top of the key started the Giants off. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Consistent back and forth between both sides saw the Giants look to break down the Caledonia lead only for them to hold firm and reassert their lead. Both teams were going like for like down the stretch. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">This continued all the way into the final few minutes as it seemed the giants were progressing and going nowhere at the same time. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">This frustrating sense of purgatory wouldn’t end for Manchester until the time ran out as they ran out of time. </span>
https://twitter.com/McrGiants/status/1634985093189042178
<span style="font-weight: 400;">From his hot start at the beginning. Dirk Williams continued that hot streak all the way through the contest as he ended with a staggering 27 points on 50% from the field and 41% from three. Williams also led the Giants in steals with 3. </span>
<strong>Head Coach Vince Macaulay said: </strong>
<strong>"Rough road loss for us, I think a slow start hurt, when we got going we were even and I thought we could push in. But Nick Lewis was out for the 2nd half and in the end we just didn’t have enough". </strong>
<strong>"We rest now and await a real dog fight against Bristol in Manchester on Wednesday".</strong>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">The Manchester Giants will be looking to shake off this result as they face the Bristol Flyers at home March 15th. </span>
Tickets are available for the Manchester Giants next home game against the high flying Bristol Flyers on March 15th. The link for the tickets is below:
<a href="https://manchestergiants.com/tickets/">https://manchestergiants.com/tickets/</a>
Keep up to date with all things Manchester Giants on our socials:
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![MORE](<strong>The Manchester Giants welcomed table-toppers London Lions to the National Basketball Performance Centre for the Friday night Sky Sports match-up, with a highly entertaining game ending 76-87 to the visitors.</strong>
Despite the stellar performance of usual suspect Dirk Williams, who had 22 points and five rebounds, and the customary commanding night of Rahmon Fletcher with 15 points and nine assists, the Giants fell just short against a solid Lions team.
On a night that saw new recruit Kofi Josephs make his highly-anticipated debut, with rupturous applause welcoming his first points as a Giant, home fans feasted their eyes on two of the British Basketball League’s finest outfits facing off in a feisty affair with a distinct playoff feel. <img class=" wp-image-19414 alignright" src="https://manchestergiants.com/wp-content/uploads/WhatsApp-Image-2023-03-10-at-20.15.22-300x240.jpg" alt="" width="176" height="141" />
Vince Macaulay’s men got things underway in sensational fashion in front of a near-capacity Belle Vue, as club captain Fletcher finished the first quarter with double-digit scoring.
And while the opening quarter ended with the scores at 31-18 - and the Lions seemingly still asleep on the team bus - the second period was to be a much more balanced affair as the visitors fought back to go in at the half at 49-42.
Unwavering effort on the defensive end was the order of the day for Coach Macaulay’s men, who knew any lapses in concentration would be punished against a side who had lost just twice in the BBL all season.
https://twitter.com/BBLofficial/status/1634297665881079813
And it was Nick Lewis and Tajh Green who led the way in the rebounding department, adding ten and nine rebounds in the game respectively. <img class=" wp-image-19418 alignleft" src="https://manchestergiants.com/wp-content/uploads/LionsGinats-7-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="194" height="129" />
The BBL’s top team took until the midway point of the third to get their first lead of the night, as a technical foul on Fletcher for disputing a call sent former NBA man Sam Dekker to the charity stripe, on his way to a team-high 23 points on the night.
But the visitors were to get into their own altercation with the referees just moments later, as a tug at the arm of Dirk Williams by Lions’ guard Olumiye Oni led to harsh words being directed at the officials by the visiting team – and technical for head coach Ryan Schmidt.
As the final quarter got underway it was the turn of the Lions to put together an offensive run, shooting out to an 11-point lead with eight minutes to go until the final buzzer.
But the Giants refused to let the team from the capital push them around, fighting back to within two possessions of the BBL Trophy winners in a spirited resistance on their home court.
Unfortunately, the Giants’ troubles from beyond the arc – shooting just 5/24 from outside – and some vital missed free throws in the middle of the final quarter when the momentum seemed to be changing were enough for the Lions to take the game by the neck and take two points back to the capital.
A lay-up from Anthony Roberson were to add the game’s final points, and as the referees called time, the score sat at 76-87 to the Schmidt’s Lions, with their 11-point victory not entirely representative of a highly spirited effort by Macaulay’s men.
<b>Head Coach Vince Macaulay said: " I thought we played a really great game for most of the game. I thought we got a bit tired towards the end with our eight man rotation". <img class=" wp-image-19419 alignright" src="https://manchestergiants.com/wp-content/uploads/LionsGinats-4-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="161" height="107" /></b>
<strong>"What we can take away from here is what we are doing is going to be successful". </strong>
The Giants now await the visit of the Bristol Flyers, who make the trip up Manchester from the South West on Wednesday night.
Tickets are available for the Manchester Giants next home game against the high flying Bristol Flyers on March 15th. The link for the tickets is below:
<a href="https://manchestergiants.com/tickets/">https://manchestergiants.com/tickets/</a>
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Words: Nathan Blackwood
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![MORE](<strong>The Manchester Giants continued their BBL Championship campaign with an away win for the ages, holding on against second-placed Bristol Flyers at the Wise Arena for an 81-86 road victory.</strong>
A blistering third-quarter performance by the Giants set them apart from the hosts, with Vince Macaulay’s men resisting a fightback in the dying minutes of the game to take the spoils in the South West.
Despite William Lee and Nate Robinson’s absence through injury - and new signing Kofi Josephs not travelling with the team - the Giants showed fans they can still get it done even when the squad is not at full strength.
A 21-point, nine-assist game from team captain Rahmon Fletcher and 15 points as well as nine rebounds off the bench from Nick Lewis were highlights in a solid team performance on Sunday afternoon. <img class=" wp-image-19409 alignright" src="https://manchestergiants.com/wp-content/uploads/Manchester-Vs-Bristol-2-240x300.jpg" alt="" width="145" height="182" />
The affair got underway in worrying fashion for Giants fans, as Bristol poured in eight unanswered points, before former BBL MVP Fletcher got the Giants’ scoring underway with a long two-pointer.
After a cold start to the game where the Giants made just one successful field goal in the first four minutes of play, Coach Macaulay’s men fought back to level the scores at 14-14 with a couple of minutes to play in the first quarter.
The visitors, sporting their yellow away jerseys for this fixture, looked a much improved offensive machine in the second quarter as they began to score more freely and keep the pressure on hosts Bristol.
A beautiful fast break move with a delightful final pass by Fletcher to Roberson for an easy layup would level the scores again at 27-27.
A carefully crafted long two by Fletcher in transition would give the Giants their first lead of the game at 29-27.
Both teams took turns getting their noses in front, with a string of high-effort plays defining the closing moments of the first-half including a sensational step-back three by sharpshooter Nick Lewis and a tough layup through contact by the Flyers’ Malcolm Delpeche.
And it was Delpeche at the centre of the action again in the dying moments of the second, as he flushed home the ball with just a second and a half left before the half-time buzzer to take his personal scoring total to a game-high 12 points – and the score to 44-39 to the Flyers.
Fletcher and Tajh Green were the Giants’ leading scorers at the break with nine points apiece, but Macaulay’s men were struggling from beyond the arc, hitting just three of their 12 attempts from three point land. <img class=" wp-image-19408 alignleft" src="https://manchestergiants.com/wp-content/uploads/Manchester-vs-bristol-3--260x300.jpg" alt="" width="145" height="168" />
Out of the interval, a thunderous dunk from Green would get the visitors rolling in the third as they battled hard to chip away at Bristol’s lead as he added to his eventual 20-point scoring total for the game.
After the hosts shot out to their first double digit lead since the first quarter, Lewis found some seamless offensive rhythm to score ten straight points to level the game at 54-54.
The Giants would remain red hot on the offensive end throughout the third, shooting out to a seven-point lead – their largest of the game – with two minutes left to play in the penultimate period.
A sensational alley-oop from Fletcher to Green would extend the visitors’ lead to nine points as all the momentum seemed to be with the men in yellow, who massively outscored Bristol in the third 29-15.
https://twitter.com/McrGiants/status/1632431228878987265
The effort was not confined to the offence though, as big blocks down the closing stretch by Anthony Roberson and Dirk Williams played a key part in resisting a late comeback by the Flyers.
Having led by as many as sixteen points in the fourth quarter, the Giants may be a little disappointed that they allowed the Flyers back into the game – but a road win is a road win, and they don’t come much tougher than Bristol in the BBL.
As the final buzzer sounded, play closed with the score at 81-86 to the Giants, who will gladly take the victory and two points back home to Manchester.
But in the bigger picture, this afternoon saw them take a vital step towards playing the brand of basketball that will be necessary to make a deep run into the playoffs.
<strong>"Glad we were able to pull through with just 7 players, it was tough but I thought we showed real resilience and executed our play very well. we have things to work on as they out rebounded us but there’s still time"</strong> <strong>- Vince Macaulay </strong>
Tickets are available for the Manchester Giants next home game against the BBL Cup champions the London Lions on March 10th. The link for the tickets is below:
<a href="https://manchestergiants.com/tickets/">https://manchestergiants.com/tickets/</a>
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Words: Nathan Blackwood
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![MORE](<b>The Manchester Giants are proud to announce the signing of former Plymouth City Patriots guard, Great British international and certified walking bucket Kofi Josephs for the 2022/23 season. </b>
Josephs was electric during his most recent tenure in the BBL at the Plymouth City Pavilions. In the 11 games he played for Plymouth during the 2021/22 season he averaged 20 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists on 42% from the field, 34% from beyond the arc and 84% from the line.
As well as being a fan favourite during his time in Plymouth, he also cemented his name in history as he recorded the highest total of points in a single game by a british player with 46 and became 9th in total points in a single game.
Since his tenure with the Patriots, the 6”6 guard signed a professional deal in Saudi Arabia for Al Ahli in the top flight of Saudi Arabian basketball. In the 4 games he played there he averaged 16 points per game on 41/39/75 shooting splits.
As well as being a significant presence on court, Josephs is also an active presence on social media as well as he uses his platform to advocate for mental health through a variety of avenues such as “The Mental Health Charter for Basketball” and through his clothing brand “Why Not I”.
<span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span>Vince Macaulay said this about his latest addition:
"We’ve been short handed all season and injuries haven’t helped, with Nathan Robinson’s injury stretching even further we are delighted that Kofi has chosen to stay home in Manchester and suit up for us". "
His uptempo style will suit our style of play"
Kofi Josephs commented on the move:
“It’s exciting times in Manchester, on and off the court. I’m happy to be apart of the new wave and looking forward to bringing my game to an already great team ahead of the most exciting part of the season”.
Catch Kofi's first home game for the Manchester Giants in person on March 10th as the Giants take on the London Lions. Tickets are available at<span style="font-weight: 400;">: </span><a href="https://manchestergiants.com/tickets/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://manchestergiants.com/tickets/</span></a>
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Photo: Al Ahli){kind=link}
Giants blow Flyers away with blistering third quarter performance
The National Basketball Performance Centre played host to Wednesday-night BBL action as the Bristol Flyers made their way up the M5 and M6 to face a Manchester Giants side looking to bounce back following back-to-back losses against Caledonia and London. Going into the game, the Giants found themselves in fifth place in the BBL...
Giants fight to the end in bitter defeat to London Lions
Giants blow Flyers away with blistering third quarter performance