Surrey United got their first points on the board this weekend with a crushing win over Glasgow Rocks on Saturday night at Surrey Sports Park. The game was watched by hundreds of excited fans, including our very own competition winners who were treated to front row seats and a hospitality package that included a meet and greet with the players after the match!
United’s Lavione West said before the game that if the team could solid up in defence and change their mind set from just trying to avoid defeat to trying to win games, then things would turn around for the better and he couldn’t have been more correct.
The last time these two met was at the Emirates Arena back in April when Glasgow won by seven points in a tight encounter that finished 91-84. However, this is a very different Surrey United team with the arrivals of the afore mentioned Lavione West, as well as Trevor Setty, Kramer Knutson and Kirk Crecco, giving the team a lot more quality, experience and fire power.
On Saturday night, a dominant performance in the paint by Surrey, saw them dominate against a Glasgow team missing influential, big man, Paul Egwuonwu who was out injured. Rocks found it difficult scoring from close range and were down at each quarterly break before eventually going down by 21 points.
Surrey United 97 (21,46,72) (West 20, Crecco 19, Setty 19)
Glasgow Rocks 76 (20,39,56) (Ogedengbe 16, Freeman 14, Davis 13, Smith 13)
Despite solid long-range shooting keeping the points ticking over, the Glasgow club found itself one point down after the first quarter at 21-20, but this was about as close as it got all evening. The away team were actually chasing the hosts for the majority of the first half and United’s inside production allowed the home side to establish a 46-39 halftime lead, after finishing the second quarter on a 6-0 run.
Elvisi Dusha’s basket midway through the third period put Surrey up by double figures for the first time in the game at 62-51, forcing Rocks’ player-coach Sterling Davis to call a timeout in an attempt to regroup.
However, playing on the second end of a back-to-back, the Scottish side saw United pull away even further. Kirk Crecco capped a great third quarter for Surrey with a basket to extend the hosts’ lead to 72-56 just before the buzzer.
Visibly exhausted, Rocks ran out of gas in the second half and couldn’t put up a fight in the final frame, as United cruised to its first win of the new BBL Championship campaign. Kramer Knutson provided the hosts with a lethal presence inside the box throughout the match, finishing the game with a huge double-double of 18 points and 18 rebounds.
Like Glasgow, United also hold a 1-2 record after three games of the new season and the Guildford-based team now face a string of away trips, starting this Saturday when they travel to Leicester Riders for a 7.30pm BBL Cup tip-off. Surrey will return to the Surrey Sports Park on Saturday 15 November to host the Newcastle Eagles (7pm tip-off).
James Martin
Images provided by Rob Sambles