Offensive struggles in the first and third quarters hurt the Durham Wildcats on the road against the red hot Glasgow Rocks in a 79-68 loss Friday night. Throughout the match the Wildcats shot 39.3 percent overall (24-61) compared to Glasgow’s 46.5 percent (33-71).
The Wildcats fall to 5-7 in the BBL Championship. Meanwhile Glasgow are riding a three-game winning streak in all competitions which include two buzzer-beating finishes.
The first quarter set the tone for the rest of the evening on 28th November. Durham could only muster 12 points in the first quarter and trailed by 10 points by the end of that term. They would shrink the deficit to six by halftime with the score 40-34.
Production faltered again coming out of the break as Durham scored 15 to Glasgow’s 21, stretching the margin to 12. The Wildcats could only gain back one point in the final quarter on the way to the 79-68 final score. The Rocks never relinquished the lead throughout the game.
Chris Jones and Fran Urli both had 14 points to lead the Wildcats. Nine of Urli’s points came from the free throw line. John Puk added nine points from 4-10 shooting and one free throw. Jones led the team in assists with four. Overall, the Wildcats were 14-17 shooting from the free throw line.
Durham shot well from range, netting 6-16 three-pointers. Glasgow were 10-35 from that distance.
Ralph Bucci gathered a game-high 16 rebounds to go along with his seven points and four steals. The Wildcats were edged out by the Rocks in rebounds 40-34. Durham limited their turnovers to 10 and forced 12 Glasgow turnovers.
Panos Mayindombe had eight points and three assists. Sam Martin and Joel Madourie each had four points and David Buchberger had three. Odiba Attah returned from injury and had five points.
The Wildcats will take a long week of preparation as they get ready for another derby faceoff with the first place Esh Group Eagles Newcastle on 5th December on the road. The last time the clubs met was back on 5th October and Newcastle came away with a 99-73 win. Urli and Buchberger were not active in that match up and, with a full squad expected to be healthy, should help the Wildcats threaten the BBL’s top team.
On Sunday 7th December the Wildcats will welcome Surrey United, who sit at the bottom of the table, to Newton Aycliffe. That match will be preceded by the Wildcats’ U-18’s match versus Bradford Dragons at 12:30pm. The entry fee for all children will be £1.
