The Dragons visited the North East of England, for their National Basketball League Division One fixture against Team Newcastle University on Saturday Evening, where a strong team performance paid off, giving Bradford their first league victory of 2019 (73-84).
It was an important game for both sides, with Newcastle sitting just one position and two points behind Bradford in the league table. A win for the hosts would have seen them jump ahead in the standings, potentially pushing the Dragons into the drop zone.
It was an important game for both sides, with Newcastle sitting just one position and two points behind Bradford in the league table. A win for the hosts would have seen them jump ahead in the standings, potentially pushing the Dragons into the drop zone.
| The visitors got off to a flying start, Allie Fullah winning the jump ball and setting Jermayne Laing for the first attempt of the game. Laing’s shot bounced back off the rim, but Fullah was there to take the rebound and follow up with a dunk to put the Dragons ahead. Latvian, Rihards Šulcs doubled the lead just seconds later, before Newcastle put up their first points of the game – a three from Benedict Seipt. The two sides traded baskets throughout most of the opening session, with Bradford doing just enough to keep their noses ahead. With three and a half minutes of the period to play, the Dragons’ lead was just two points (13-15), but then scores from Ricky Fetske and Andreas Lycoudis increased the gap to six. |  |
Seipt again scored for Newcastle, before a triple run of threes by Bradford (Fetske and Lycoudis x2) closed the period out with the Dragons firmly in control (15-28).
Šulcs extended the lead to fifteen, early in the second period, but then Tosan Evbuomwan hit a three and Onyekachi Nzerem a two, to pull the hosts back within ten (20-30). From there, the play levelled out and when the buzzer sounded for half time, the difference remained at ten, with the scores at 35-45.
Šulcs drew a foul in the first play after the interval and he made no mistake with the resulting shots from the line. Fetske then dunked to extend the away advantage to fourteen, before a three from Nzerem and a couple of singles from Seipt brought it back to a single figure game (40-49).
Bradford pulled away again, and halfway through the third quarter they looked strong with a seventeen-point lead (42-59); however, a succession of missed opportunities then allowed the hosts back in. As the penultimate period closed, the gap was down to just five points (57-62) and it looked set for a tense final quarter.
Šulcs extended the lead to fifteen, early in the second period, but then Tosan Evbuomwan hit a three and Onyekachi Nzerem a two, to pull the hosts back within ten (20-30). From there, the play levelled out and when the buzzer sounded for half time, the difference remained at ten, with the scores at 35-45.
Šulcs drew a foul in the first play after the interval and he made no mistake with the resulting shots from the line. Fetske then dunked to extend the away advantage to fourteen, before a three from Nzerem and a couple of singles from Seipt brought it back to a single figure game (40-49).
Bradford pulled away again, and halfway through the third quarter they looked strong with a seventeen-point lead (42-59); however, a succession of missed opportunities then allowed the hosts back in. As the penultimate period closed, the gap was down to just five points (57-62) and it looked set for a tense final quarter.
Once more, it was Bradford that added the first points of the final session and with just over two minutes of the period played they looked comfortable with a ten-point advantage (59-69). But, Newcastle were not yet finished and three minutes later they had pulled back to just a three-point ball game (68-71) and it looked as though the Dragons were facing a nervous final five minutes.
Fullah was sent to the line following a foul by Newcastle’s Fran Urli, and he made no mistakes, putting the Dragons five up. The hosts again pulled back to three, but with just three minutes remaining, Urli was called for a technical foul, sending Rafi Saipe to the line for a single and, with Bradford maintaining possession, Fullah followed up to put Bradford six ahead (70-76).
The hosts dug in, but Bradford matched them basket for basket and with just a minute left on the clock, Laing bucketed a two to put Bradford seven clear.
With Newcastle now needing possession, they were forced into giving away fouls, in the vain hope that their guests would miss from the line. However, when the final buzzer sounded the Dragons’ lead had been stretched to eleven (73-84) and it was they that celebrated their first win since beating Team Solent Kestrels, in December.
Bradford's head coach, Chris Mellor, reflected on the win, commenting, "We played with great energy right from the tip and did an excellent job executing at both ends. It was obviously a big game for both teams and the players deserve a lot of credit for sticking together through a very tough last few weeks."
Fullah was sent to the line following a foul by Newcastle’s Fran Urli, and he made no mistakes, putting the Dragons five up. The hosts again pulled back to three, but with just three minutes remaining, Urli was called for a technical foul, sending Rafi Saipe to the line for a single and, with Bradford maintaining possession, Fullah followed up to put Bradford six ahead (70-76).
The hosts dug in, but Bradford matched them basket for basket and with just a minute left on the clock, Laing bucketed a two to put Bradford seven clear.
With Newcastle now needing possession, they were forced into giving away fouls, in the vain hope that their guests would miss from the line. However, when the final buzzer sounded the Dragons’ lead had been stretched to eleven (73-84) and it was they that celebrated their first win since beating Team Solent Kestrels, in December.
Bradford's head coach, Chris Mellor, reflected on the win, commenting, "We played with great energy right from the tip and did an excellent job executing at both ends. It was obviously a big game for both teams and the players deserve a lot of credit for sticking together through a very tough last few weeks."
| Šulcs was again the top scorer for Bradford, with 24 points, just missing out on a double-double with 9 rebounds. Fetske, did manage the double, with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Saipe and Lycoudis both registered double figures with 14 and 11 points respectively. The win moves the Dragons four points clear of the relegation spots with just six fixtures remaining. Two of those fixtures take place this coming weekend, with Bradford entertaining Thames Valley Cavaliers on Saturday evening. With the Dragons’ home court at Bradford College being unavailable, this fixture has been moved to the Unique Fitness and Lifestyle Centre on Great Horton Road, with a 6pm tip-off. Spectator accommodation is restricted, and therefore the club are recommending that tickets are purchased in advance, via the club website, in order to ensure access to the game. |  |
The following day, the Dragons travel to bottom club Manchester Magic, who with only a single victory so far this season already look destined for the second division next season. Sunday’s tip off at the Manchester Basketball Centre is at 6:30pm.
Photographs © Alex Daniel Photography
Photographs © Alex Daniel Photography
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