Analysis » By the numbers - Wales @ Flyers

Flyers basketball has been built on a principle that strong defence leads to effective offence. This was clearly displayed in the game. The Flyers’ stifling defence forced a huge 43 turnovers. From these extra possessions Flyers were able to convert 60 points; more than half of the team’s scoring came on a possession sparked by a turnover. Creating turnovers also allowed transition basketball, with Flyers amassing 34 fast break points over the course of the game.

Flyers were very successful in limiting penetration and protecting the basket, only conceding six points in the paint whilst limiting Wales to just 22% from the field. Flyers also committed fewer fouls than their opponents with just 13 in total.

Transition, strong drives and good ball movement led to a spectacular two point field goal percentage of 71%. The team will hope to carry over strong shot selection into next week’s season opener, but anything higher than 50% is superb. Flyers’ guards Lewis Champion and Jalan McCloud led the unselfish play with 15 assists (eight and seven respectively). Every Flyers player contributed to the scoring and five got into double figures. 

Along with generating extra chances to score through turnovers, Flyers also crushed the battle of the boards. Bristol corralled 54 rebounds from missed shots, while Wales were only able to recover 28. On the offensive end Flyers grabbed 22 boards, while Wales only hauled in 19 defensive rebounds - after a Flyers miss in this game the attacking team recovered the ball more often than not. This fed into additional scoring from second chance points to the tune of 19 points for Flyers. 

With Tevin Falzon resting a shoulder injury, the Flyers front court duo of Marcus Delpeche and Daniel Edozie led the rebounding push. Both players achieved a double-double for points and rebounds. 

Edozie had 13 points and ten rebounds. His performance also included anchoring the defence with a team high seven steals, four assists and a well disciplined team-leading 75% field goal percentage. Edozie said he learned about captaining a team from Flyers legend Greg Streete and Streete would be proud of the leadership on display here.

Delpeche continued his strong pre-season form with 20 points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots. His scoring came from a combination of running the floor and post play. Fred Thomas also poured in 20 points and was not far away from breaking into double figure steals; his wide wingspan and active defence netted him six steals. 

Wales held the day on one important statistical category - free throw shooting. Flyers shot an incongruous 44% (8-18) from the foul line in contrast to a solid performance in other areas. In a close game, those missed points could be crucial. Wales fared only slightly better with 50% from the line on slightly fewer opportunities (6-12). 

Both teams struggled from three point range. Flyers hit just eight from 29 from beyond the arc, whilst Wales fared no better with just four from 16 of their triples dropping in. Both sides can make gains in efficiency from the charity stripe and outside the arc.

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