Bristol Flyers recorded their largest ever win in a south west derby with a 20-point drubbing of Plymouth Raiders in the group stage of the BBL Cup.
Flyers had led from start to finish in front of a capacity crowd at the SGS College Arena to take early bragging rights with a resounding 92-72 success, with Fred Thomas' half-court three-point the highlight of the night.
The atmosphere was feverish long before Daniel Edozie’s chant to the tune of Seven Nation Army filled the WISE Campus, but in the end the difference between the two sides was explicitly clear, with a clinical Flyers side improving to a 2-2 record in the BBL Cup.
It was one-way traffic for much of the night, but Plymouth kept battling, though, and a choppy third quarter allowed the visitors to cut the lead down to 14 points.
But it was a case of lessons learned from last weekend for Andreas Kapoulas’ side, as they halted any chance of a Raiders comeback to secure their second win of the season.
Turning point
Flyers were handed the perfect start when Lewis Champion scored the first seven points of the game to give Bristol an early double digit advantage - a lead they would hold for the rest of the night.
The Flyers point guard did an excellent job in containing his opposite number Josh Wilcher, who struggled to influence the game and build momentum, scoring 11 of his 15 points from the foul line.
Play of the game
Plymouth found themselves with a mountain to climb when Fred Thomas sunk the three-pointer from inside his own half at the end of the third quarter to put Flyers ahead, 67-49.
Player of the game
Fred Thomas led all scorers with a game-high 18 points and it was a welcome return from injury for Gentrey Thomas, who had 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
But Daniel Edozie celebrated his 27th birthday with his first double-double of the season, capping off an efficient performance with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
What the Flyers did well
Flyers dominated the battle inside, out rebounding their opponents 50 to 39, whilst scoring 46 points in the paint.
The eventual scoreline went beyond the expectations of many, which was largely down to second chance points - Flyers scored 19 to just the Raiders’ four.
Whay they didn't do well
No-one can complain about the physicality of the Flyers this season - but they lived dangerously close to foul trouble, with Raphell Thomas-Edwards fouling out of the game late on, with a further four players finishing on four personal fouls apiece.
What coach said
“It was a solid all round performance - we had another good first half and we showed a lot of composure on both ends of the court.
"We talked a lot about putting together that 40 minute performance and I’m very glad to see the team respond from last week’s performance to get the win."
Kapoulas also reserved praise for youngster Marvin Dinnall - with the 19-year-old making his first appearance in the BBL, scoring six points in just two and a half minutes of court time.
“Marvin is a product of our academy programme at SGS College and credit to him and all of our coaches that are doing a great job with him in our junior programme.
“It was just great to see him on the floor and score his first points in the BBL - he’s following in the bright example of other players from our academy like Josh Rogers and Greg Streete, so it’s great to see him on the floor and getting those valuable minutes."
Who's next?
Flyers face an important meeting with defending BBL Cup champions London Lions at the SGS College Arena on Saturday, October 19th (7.30pm tip-off).
