The Bristol Flyers recorded back-to-back victories with an 89-71 road win against the Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles. The Flyers went off in the fourth quarter to record an impressive road win.
The win promoted the Flyers above the Eagles into fourth place in the British Basketball League Championship standings at 10-9. Meanwhile, the Eagles fall to .500 with a 9-9 record.
Starting Five
Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles starting five: Darius Defoe, Devin Whitfield, Jordan Johnson, Rickey Mcgill, Tajh Green
Bristol Flyers starting five: Brad Greene, CJ Jackson, Raphell Thomas-Edwards, Rowell Graham-Bell, Tevin Olison
First Half
It was a slow offensive start for both sides. The game went scoreless through a fast-paced opening two minutes, which included an empty trip to the free throw line for Tajh Green (0-0).
Green made up for his misses as the teams got to work down low, following up his big man Darius Defoe with a hook shot inside to make it a 4-2 Eagles start.
For Bristol, Raphell Thomas-Edwards hit the ground running in a back-and-forth start, scoring six points in five minutes (8-7).
The biggest lead of the first quarter for either side was only three points, as neither could establish a true advantage through the opening 10 minutes.
Josh Ward-Hibbert drained Newcastle’s first three of the evening after seven attempts from the team, making it 22-20 in their favour after one.
The Eagles scored five straight to start the second. Rickey McGill hit a triple after Ward-Hibbert took the lid off the basket to end the first (27-20).
Bristol’s midseason acquisition CJ Jackson put up five straight, including an and-one play to keep the Flyers within striking distance (31-25).
While Bristol threatened to tie it up after a Graham-Bell fadeaway, Jordan Johnson’s three for Newcastle stemmed a 6-0 Flyers run (34-29).
Devin Whitfield then caught fire for the Eagles with back-to-back trebles from the same spot on the left side of the court (40-33).
Big man Brad Greene caused chaos inside for the Flyers in the second. He had 6 points in the period and ran the pick-and-roll effectively to snatch momentum back for the Flyers.
Trejon Jacob sparked a 6-0 run with a block on the driving Johnson, then threw down a two-handed breakaway slam to make it a one-point affair (44-43).
Graham-Bell drained a three with 1:17 in the half to tie it at 46. Bristol went 2-13 from range in the first half but found themselves tied up going into the locker rooms.
Second Half
Greene continued his dominance down low with two buckets to start the second half (49-50).
Newcastle hit two threes to begin their third quarter. The second was scored by Green as the sides continued to be engaged in a back-and-forth (52-52).
It was a low-scoring opening five minutes of the period, the sides managing only 15 points by the commercial timeout (52-55).
Bristol got out to their biggest lead of the game through Jackson, who weaved into the teeth of the defence on the break and made a left-handed layup (52-57).
Corey Samuels then ran the break with Olison after a Green turnover to maintain their narrow lead (57-61).
The game remained in the balance throughout the third. It was Green who had the last say in the quarter with free throws to make it 61-63 to Bristol.
Greene got to work at the start of the fourth to score four quick points once again. His smooth hook shot was then followed by Leslee Smith’s and-one play as Bristol built a lead (70-63).
Thomas-Edwards intercepted a McGill pass before dishing an assist to Trejon Jacob to keep the scoreboard ticking over for Bristol (63-72).
Jackson’s impact continued from the backcourt. He pulled up for a tough two over Johnson to give Bristol their first double-digit lead (63-74).
Thomas-Edwards made it a 14-point lead after a block on a Whitfield three-point attempt and finish on the other end (64-78).
Johnson hit a three for Newcastle to keep them alive with 4:25 on the clock (67-78).
Bristol’s response came at the hands of Greene, who scored four in response to put the game beyond doubt (67-84).
Greene ended the game with a free throw to conclude a 26-10 fourth quarter, in which he scored 11 points (89-71).
Player of the Game
Tonight’s Player of the Game was Brad Greene. The Bristol Flyers big man put up a monster double-double with 27 points and 14 rebounds, shooting 68% from the field.
| Team | Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles | Rickey McGill | 16 | 3 | 5 |
| Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles | Tajh Green | 14 | 15 | 0 |
| Bristol Flyers | Brad Greene | 27 | 14 | 1 |
| Bristol Flyers | CJ Jackson | 20 | 3 | 1 |
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