2 OCT 2016: FORCE 68-88 PHOENIX
Marcel Mosley hit 23 second half points, and 7/10 three-pointers, in a 32 point second half swing for Phoenix.
BBL Championship Leeds Force 68 (21,48,61) (Sanders 23, Sandoval 13, Harris 12) Cheshire Phoenix 88 (21,36,64) (Mosley 30, Anderson 16, Fox/Wilcher 15)
Marcel Mosley produced an unstoppable second half display to turn around the fortunes of his Cheshire Phoenix side as they beat Leeds Force 88-68, remaining an unbeaten 5-0 in BBL competition in Leeds.
Mosley led all scorers with 30 points, including 7/10 three-pointers, with 23 of those coming in the second half. He was supported by a double-double of 15 points and 11 assists from Josh Wilcher.
Force had started the season with a win, Phoenix with two defeats, and that form showed early on as Rob Marsden reached 1,000 career points in the BBL Championship and Force led. And they were up by as many as 12 before the break, after Jermaine Sanders – who had 22 first half points – hit 10 in a 14-4 push.
But the Phoenix were transformed in the second half. Initially it was Josh Wilcher who got them going, scoring eight points early in the third quarter, including two three-pointers, to narrow the gap to 56-50.
And what Sanders did in the first half, Mosley bettered in the second, as he took over from there. He hit three triples in a row to give Phoenix their first lead of the game, in what became a 16-2 surge for a score of 63-58 towards the end of the third period.
And Mosley then opened the fourth with another two long-rangers to all-but settle the game, before sending the lead into double-digits at 74-64. Phoenix came close to a record win over Leeds (21 points on this floor in November 2015) as Jamell Anderson added six late points and the Phoenix got up-and-running for the season.