Glasgow rock up into third place battle after Surrey victory
The Glasgow Rocks rolled to an emphatic 98-70 win over the Surrey Heat at the Emirates Arena on Friday night.
Coach Davis called it the ‘most consistent performance this season, especially on defence’ as his men dominated on both sides of the floor for the entire forty minutes.
Veteran guard E.J. Harrison top scored with 24 points, but Gareth Murray was the star of the game with 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Canadian big man Jamie Vanderbeken had a phenomenal four blocks as the Rocks defence harassed the short-handed Heat.
The Rocks win, combined with Worcester defeating Plymouth, sees four teams separated by just two points in the race for third place in the BBL standings.
Starting Fives
Glasgow : Davis, Robinson, Vanderbeken, Harrison, Murray
Surrey : C. Holmes, F. Holmes, Margai, Simek, T. Holmes
Scotland international Gareth Murray got the scoring underway with the games first points. Chavis Holmes responded with two free-throws to tie the score at 2-2. That was as close as the Heat got all night as the Rocks ran a 15-1 run, highlighted by steals and assists from Davis and Robinson respectively.
It took the Heat nearly seven minutes to notch their first field goal, as Frank Holmes reduced the arrears to 17-5. It was a rare off night for the Heat offence, who had averaged 102.33 points in their previous three games.
Surrey narrowed the gap to single figures early in the second quarter, but Glasgow again took control of the game and a sweet Harrison to Robinson alley-oop just before the half-time break took the lead to 20.
Davis admitted that after such a dominant first half, he was concerned that his team may consider the job to be done. Not one bit of it.
Despite the gap being reduced to 14 points with 14 minutes to play, the Rocks never looked like giving up their lead. A 9-0 run, highlighted by two dunks within 50 seconds from Murray, took the Rocks lead to 24 early in the fourth quarter.
In the final stages, Rocks youngsters Jonny Bunyan and Dale Grieve saw some rare game time and certainly made the most of their opportunity. Both guards played with enthusiasm and no lack of confidence, with the duo going 3-for-3 with seven points meaning all the Rocks players notched points in a convincing win over their play-off rivals.
With Worcester visiting Glasgow on Sunday, Davis will be hoping for a repeat performance in front of the raucous home crowd.
Game MVP
Gareth Murray – It was a terrific team performance from the Rocks, one which Davis called the most consistent this season. However, the Scot was a step above his colleagues. 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists were team highs in all three categories.
Play of the game
Murray made two monster dunks, and there was a great alley-oop between Harrison and Robinson, but the play of the game was a breathtaking pass from Murray that took out the entire Heat defence and found Davis wide open in the paint for an easy basket.
