After a determined start by the visitors, Tigers found themselves 5 points down by the first break, but raised their game at the beginning of the second and roared ahead in a 14 – 0 run with 8 points coming from Rich Anderson. In a defensively tight final two minutes all points on both sides came from the line, but Taunton's earlier domination gained them a 42 – 34 lead by the interval.
You can watch the full game video here or View it on Vimeo. The match report continues below.
Things were fairly even after the break, although Taunton just had the edge and increased their lead to finish the quarter 11 points ahead after a basket right on the buzzer by Sean Clifford.
Coventry fought back to within 3 points in the first five minutes of the final period after a long range basket by Danso. However, Taunton responded immediately and the games destiny seemed dependant on the respective number 11s. Successive threes within the next minute by Tigers' man Joe Andrews maintained a three basket lead. But the Crusaders came back again with their man Steve Danso again hurting the Tigers with successive baskets from outside the arc to get the visitors within a point and the home crowd on tenterhooks.
But it was another 8 points in the closing 2 minutes from Tigers' Man of the Match Andrews that secured a 81 – 72 win and increased his tally for the quarter to 14 points. Tigers Head Coach Tom Kambouris praised the Crusaders determiation but was pensive about Taunton’s overall performance.
After the game he said,
“You have to hand it to Coventry, they never relented. They really hurt us with their pressure towards the end and made some big shots to keep them in the game. Although we got the win, for us this was a step back. From now on we hope to achieve better execution as we continue our campaign. 21 turnovers is a big red flag for us. If we do not take care of the ball, we will struggle.”