MATCH REPORT: Resilient Rocks end cup group stage with a win

Rocks may have missed out on top spot in BBL Cup Group 2, but got the reaction they needed from Friday’s loss to Manchester Giants to beat them by ten points in the reverse fixture.

With the third part of this trilogy coming up next week in the league opener, both sides served an entertaining affair at the Emirates Arena to round off the group stage of the cup, having already qualified for the quarter finals.

After suffering an almost 40-point loss deficit on Friday night, it was back to business and the Rocks set out their stall as David Mpondo scored five points in the opening couple of minutes to get them going.

It was a marked difference in attitude and surging into a nine-point lead after the first quarter told its own story, with Julius Van Sauers and Marc Kwedi also contributing to a good scoreline after the opening 10 minutes.

Glasgow had got themselves into a ten-point lead in the first couple of minutes in the second quarter and although Lyle Hexom netted an impressive dunk in the first 30 seconds, Rocks were back on track.

Mpondo and Van Sauers were among the points again while Isa Brandon and Boban Jacdomni contributed and before you knew it, Rocks were up by 17 points and really taking the game by the scruff of their neck.

Giants enjoyed a burst of points to get themselves back into the game, closing the gap to 14 as the game reached half time.

By halfway through the third quarter, Glasgow had equalled their points tally from Friday as the captain, Jonny Bunyan, put up some important points to maintain the good lead Rocks had built.

He picked up 10 in the third, including two three-point jump shots as Rocks were 11 up at 68-57 and looking to get themselves over the line to record another win.

Giants showed it wasn’t going to be as easy as that as they closed the gap to two, with Donovan Johnson (2), Jack Whelan (3) and Alex Ouandie (4) all scoring points to make it a nervier affair.

Rocks immediately hit back with three-pointers from Bunyan and Fraser Malcolm and from there, Manchester couldn’t find a way back despite outscoring the home side by a point.

In the end, it was a deserved win for the Rocks to complete the group with three wins from four, which sets up a tasty third entry to this season’s series between these two evenly matched teams next Sunday.

Final group table HERE.