Back at home after beating Nottingham Hoods last Friday, MK Breakers were looking to continue their winning run as they welcomed Reading Rockets to Bletchley Leisure Centre on Saturday evening.
This BCB outing got off to a great start as good defence and rebounding saw Breakers jump out to an 8-0 lead. They would continue in that vein for the rest of the opening quarter, not only holding a commanding 21-9 lead, but also outrebounding Rockets 19-9 over the 10-minute period.
But as they so often have under Head Coach Samit Nuruzade, Reading found their way back into the game. A second quarter run saw them pull within four points by half time, and then after the break the lead began to see-saw back and forth between the two teams as neither could fully gain control of the contest.
Jordan Spencer would hit some big shots on his way to a 26-point, 6 assist performance that saw him go 7/14 from the field and 9/10 from the free throw line, alongside solid contributions from Dashawn Jackson (19 points, 7 rebounds) and Xavier Wilson (13 points, 8 rebounds).
Yet it would be Reading who came out on top, delivering down the stretch to secure a 87-94 victory that ultimately left Breakers Head Coach Ben Stanley frustrated after the impressive way his side started the game.
“It’s a tough one to take,” he said shortly after the final buzzer. “We came out super aggressive and executed everything we worked on in practice, but I think we went away from what was working for us.”
“Overall, you can say we didn’t shoot the ball as well as we normally do, but we can absorb that if we’re just more consistent on the defensive end. Reading are very talented and very well-coached, so to have been ahead for most of the game we know that we can compete with the best teams in the league.”
Breakers get the chance to put things right next Saturday, returning to Bletchley Leisure Centre for a home game against Essex Rebels. Tip-off is at 17:00 and tickets are available here.