MANCHESTER SWARM 68-82 PRESTON
(Q1: 18-28, Q2: 18-12, Q3: 13-19, Q4: 19-23)
TOP SCORERS:
- MANCHESTER SWARM: Louis Weaver (21 Pts); Schall (15 Pts); Joseph Swindells (13 Pts).
- PRESTON: Pilkington (21 Pts); Heyes (20 Pts); Haggith (12 Pts).
Manchester Swarm were brought down to earth by a battling Preston side, as the NBPC Belle Vue outfit suffered their first loss of the NBL Division 3 North West season.
The visiting Lancashire side came out of the gates quickly, putting up 28 points in the first period as the hosts began the contests out of sync. Preston would enter the first break 10 points to the good.
As Manchester began to settle down, an improved effort saw them slowly chip away at the deficit, getting as close as 2 points behind on the back of some impressive defence. A lapse in concentration would however see Preston score on the halftime buzzer to go into the long break 4 points ahead.
The third quarter would be a frustrating exercise for coach Mpofu's side, as they spent the 10 minutes fighting hard, but still finding themselves trading scores with their opponents as the Swarm repeatedly failed to convert their efforts into stops; giving up numerous offensive repbounds. Preston made a pair of timely 3-point shots to push their advantage back out to double digits after 30 minutes of play.
The 4th quarter was a micro-cosm of the whole contest, with momentum swinging one way and then the other minute by minute. Preston would ultimately outlast Manchester and claim a cruicial early season win on the road. Manchester Swarm are now 2-1 on the season, whilst Preston sit at 2-0.
Coach Mpofu shared his thoughts: "The slow starts we've been having were bound to catch us out at some point, and Preston were too good today for us to get away with it for a third game in a row. We played some tough basketball in spots tonight, but ultimately left ourselves with way too much to do, and we have to own that. We are good at what we do, but we have to be that from tip-off. We're annoyed with ourselves, but we're not concerned. We know the answers."
Manchester Swarm are back at NBPC Belle Vue on 23 October, taking on 2021/22 Division 3 Playoff winners Teesside Lions in the National Cup 3rd Round in a 16:00 tip-off.
