After their win against leaders London Mets the Kent Crusaders are back in action at home in Canterbury against North Eastern Wales Institute NEWI Nets, currently one of three teams in the league with fewer losses than Crusaders.
NEWI are only sixth in the league standings, but their position is heavily affected by their schedule. NEWI has only played 12 games to the to the Crusaders’ 16, and with four games in hand and only four losses to the Crusaders’ six, NEWI are in a great position to take the third place in the league away from Crusaders before the end of the season. The Crusaders must see this game as one of the most important of the season.
On Sunday Crusaders are making their way North to winless Birmingham University. This game may prove harder than anyone would expect, as Crusaders’ track record against teams from the bottom half of the league isn’t very good this year – especially on the back of an important late Saturday game.
GAME INFORMATION
Sat. Feb. 14 v. NEWI Nets (Body & Mind Leisure,
Sun. Feb. 15 at Birmingham University (Munrow Sports Center, Birmingham) – 6.20pm
BROADCAST INFO
Live NEWI game webcast: http://www.fibalivestats.com/matches/123/00/52/32/92InT2ZeSVQEY/
Live Birmingham Uni webcast: Not available.
SCOUTING NEWI Nets
NEWI Nets have resurrected a team that finished second to last the previous season by bringing in two import players. They’re led by American Dawaun Wells, leading the team in scoring (21 points per game) and rebounding (5.5 per game) while Spaniard Pau Feliu Orive is second in scoring with 15 points per game.
The Nets have good size, so opportunities on the inside may be few and far between for the Crusaders big men, who will have to do their damage on defence.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Kent Crusaders got back to winning ways against NEWI in November – after losing three straight to start the league season – with a 29 point victory at the previously undefeated league leaders NEWI Nets.
The game at league leaders NEWI looked to be a tall task for the previously winless Crusaders, but at the end of the game coach Mads Olesen could rest his starters for a Sunday home game against University of Birmingham.
“We came in winless in league games after winning six straight cup games early in the season”, said Olesen. “Winning six in a row maybe we got a little big-headed, but at the same time we played two of the top teams in the league in the three first games. In this game we got back to playing fundamentally sound basketball instead of trying to win fancy, and it really made a difference”.
The game only stayed close for the first seven minutes before Crusaders made a 25-to-5 run behind six three pointers from five different shooters. At the score 15-14 to the hosts NEWI’s American player Wells had nine points, but as the Crusaders defence zeroed in on him the NEWI offence stalled, and as Crusaders stated raining threes the game quickly got out of hand. At the first break it was 33-17 to Crusaders, and five minutes and three 3-pointers later it was 48-25.
After a time-out the NEWI defence improved considerably, and they started disrupting the Kent offence. A couple of Crusaders set plays kept the home side at bay, as JP Dimandja got open for a dunk and an open lay-up, and at the half the score was 57-32.
“NEWI are a much better team than what they showed in the first half”, said Olesen. “We caught them unaware, but you always know a quality team will make a run, and I made that very clear to the players at half time”.
After Crusaders made it 69-34 midways through the third quarter NEWI did indeed make a push for it, as they ran of 19 points to the Crusaders 9 around the third quarter break. The improbable comeback was not to be, though, as Crusaders’ Canadian star guard Simon Mitchell got back on the court for a couple of minutes, which steadied the team and stopped the NEWI run.
In the end Crusaders could take home a 96-67 victory on the back of 13 made three point shots.
“Any time you shoot as well from the outside as we did today you’re going to be hard to beat”, said Olesen. “It really opens up the middle for the big guys and fortunately we were able to take advantage”.
They’re led by Andrew Blakeway who scores at a rate of 15 points per game, closely followed by Matthew Wilson at 14 points per game.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
For the rest of the quarter the game stayed even and at the first break in the action the score was tied at 21.
Birmingham got the first two baskets of the second quarter, but then the Crusaders defence kicked in and over the next seven minutes the University side only scored one foul shot and one 2-point basket. A Pete Ayling layup and two James Harris three pointers got Crusaders the lead, and from then on they never looked back as they ran off 22 points to Birmingham’s 3.
Up 42-28 Crusaders seemed to take a bit of a break, and at the end of the quarter Birmingham finally managed to put some points on the board to make it a more manageable 49-37 at the break.
“I really wasn’t happy with the defence in the first half”, said Olesen. “We allowed them to do too much of what they wanted to do. To be effective on defence you need to take away what they do well and make them do the hard things instead and that was our focus for the second half”.
Crusaders initially came out and build the lead to 56-39, and even eight quick points from Birmingham’s Watson couldn’t shake the Crusaders who clamped down on defence and kept the away side to only 14 points in the third quarter. Indeed, in the last 13 minutes of the game the guests only managed two regular baskets as the rest of their 16 points came from the free throw line.
Without being spectacular Crusaders scored 24 points in the final quarter, as they managed to mix up three 3-pointers with raids to the basket for balanced inside-outside scoring.
In the last five minutes 17-year old Kalil Irwing, Canterbury High Basketball Academy student and Crusaders Under 18’s player, got his debut for Crusaders, scoring 2 points. Charlie Thomas, also a Academy and Under 18’s player also got on and scored a three pointer with his first touch.
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