Match Report: Rocks lose out to Giants in Manchester ahead of Semi-Final

The Glen Luss Glasgow Rocks battled against the Manchester Giants down in Manchester, however, it is the Giants who ultimately come away with the win, despite a close contest in all four quarters.

The first quarter started off at a frantic pace with both offensives going back and forth, however, it was in the Rocks favour as Jaycee Hillsman looked to pick up where he left off last game shotting 7/8 from three, it was him who opened up the scoring for the Rocks as he knocked down another three which was followed up by a Jordan Harris dunk to give the Rocks a good start to the game.

Jordan Harris and Jaycee Hillsman get @glasgowrocks off to a great start! #BritishBasketball

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— British Basketball League (@BBLofficial) December 10, 2021

The first half of quarter number one continued to be played at a quick pace, as Hillsman hit another three-pointer and Jordan Johnson scoring an and-one kept the Rocks ahead in the contest, but only by a narrow margin as the Giants showed some good scoring ability of their own, as the Rocks lead 15-11 five minutes into the game.

Despite the good start made by the Rocks, the final five minutes of the first quarter saw a Manchester run as they went on an 11-0 scoring streak, giving them the biggest lead of the night going up 22-15, before free throws from Harris, a three from Gareth Murray, coming back into the starting line-up, and an Ali Fraser basket cut the lead back down to just two. A high scoring opening quarter as Manchester lead the Rocks, 28-24.

Going into the second quarter, the scoring and pace of the game didn’t seem to slow down as a long two from Jonny Bunyan got the Rocks first points of the second quarter, followed up by a layup from Boban Jacdonmi inside, as the Rocks bench looked to give them some good scoring, however, the Giants continued to remain solid and hold on to their slender lead in the game.

Jordan Johnson with a huge three for Glasgow as they try and get back into the game! #BritishBasketball

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Sky Sports Mix and YouTube pic.twitter.com/0Sox5al3Qr

— British Basketball League (@BBLofficial) December 10, 2021

Heading into the interval, the scoring for the first time in the game did seem to slow down, as the Rocks struggled to find their offence, the Giants went on another 9-0 run giving them a 10-point lead in the game with two minutes to go in the first half. Jordan Johnson coming back into the game put an end to the Manchester run, which was followed up by a Jordan Harris and one as the Giants lead 50-44 going into halftime.

In the second half, it was Manchester, who unfortunately started the third quarter off in better scoring form as they outscored the Rocks 11-6 in the first four minutes of the quarter extending their lead back to 10 before coach Murray, knocked down his second three of the game, keeping the Glenn Luss Glasgow Rocks in the contest.

The Rocks continued to try battle back against the Giants lead as two baskets from Ali Fraser and a Jordan Harris layup cut the lead down to just three, however, again the Giants managed to extend and hold on to their lead going up by eight with two minutes left in the third quarter. Going into the fourth quarter, Manchester still led the Rocks 71-64, however, the game was still there to fight for in the fourth quarter.

Two HUGE plays in a row from the Rocks as they try to put pressure back on the Giants! #BritishBasketball

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Sky Sports Mix and YouTube pic.twitter.com/6Io9eXcsZQ

— British Basketball League (@BBLofficial) December 10, 2021

Into the final quarter of the game, the shots just didn’t seem to fall for the Rocks at the start of the quarter as missed threes from Johnson and Bunyan gave the Giants an opportunity to score first in the quarter, which they took, knocking down a long two to give them a nine-point lead early in the fourth. This seemed to set the tone for the rest of the fourth quarter as the Giants controlled the scoring in the first five minutes of the quarter, which was then made worse when Jaycee Hillsman fouled out of the game with the Rocks down by 12.

Despite the Rocks best attempts at a late comeback, it was Manchester who held on to their lead, outscoring the Glenn Luss Glasgow Rocks 21-15 in the fourth quarter and winning the contest 94-79, as the Rocks will now get ready for a rematch, looking to get their revenge against the Giants on Sunday night as the first leg of the semi-final in the BBL Cup tips off at 6:30 pm.

A disappointing night for the Rocks, however, MVP of the game was Ali Fraser, who put up 18 points and 7 rebounds as the Rocks will look to go again in Sunday’s semi-final.

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