by Esha Nayar

Saturday saw the Manchester Revolution face the Tees Valley Mohawks in a Premier division matchup.  The Revolution comfortably took the victory 77-45. The game saw the much anticipated return of Abdi Jama, Robyn Love and Laurie Williams after their signings were announced earlier on in the week. The trio spent their summer in Paris at the Paralympic games where Jama brought home Silver whilst Love and Williams narrowly missed out medalling.

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Manchester Revolution Coach Dan Johnson said: ‘It was a fantastic surprise when all those signings came in. To have three players of their quality to share their experience with the group is fabulous. Three quality players, we’re bound to benefit from their experience.’

‘The other thing it does is put pressure on us because maybe the expectation level has gone up.’

The Revolution kicked the game off with an and-one from Tyler Baines but they couldn’t keep up the intensity with Tees Valley hitting some tough shots to take an early lead. The visitors lead peaked at five points after Manchester struggled to rebound defensively. Despite their struggle on the boards, the score remained close and after some theatrics and a technical foul on the Mohawks Head Coach, the home side were given a chance to tie but missed the free throw. It wasn’t until the final minute of the quarter that Manchester would retake their lead, ending the quarter 13-12.

The Revolution’s momentum would carry over into the second quarter where they started off on a 4-0 run accompanied by tough defence. The Mohawks would struggle to find shots on offence, with consecutive possessions lasting the full 24 seconds. As Tees Valley’s offensive slump continued, Manchester continued to extend their lead primarily off the fastbreak. The guests would eventually find a way to slow down the pace of the game but that didn’t stop the Revolution from finding their way to the basket as they won the quarter 22-6, making the game total 35-18 with Tyler Baines leading the scoreboard with 11 points.

The Mohawks would need a strong start to the second half if they wanted a chance to take home the pink sheet. Manchester started the quarter on a 12-4 run, with Abdi Jama on eight points on 100% shooting, proving how valuable of an asset he is to the team. Tees Valley made some tough shots against an aggressive Manchester defence but couldn’t reciprocate on their end of the floor, ending the quarter 58-30.

The start of the fourth quarter looked positive for the guests. David Ion opened the quarter with a layup after an offensive rebound off his own missed shot but as their offence improved, their defence couldn’t contain the hosts. The Revolution took the win 77-45, Tyler Bains had an impressive 22 points and eight assists. Abdi Jama finished close behind with 18 points. For the Mohawks, Neil Carlisle finished with a 10 point 13 rebound double-double.

Watch the full interview with Robyn Love on FocusHoops Youtube:

Rewatch the full game on FocusHoops Youtube: