Author

Joel Osborne writes

Posted Monday, January 29th 2018 @BristolSportJO

Kapoulas - The hard work in practice is paying off

Monday, January 29th 2018

Andreas Kapoulas says the hard work in practice is beginning to pay off after Bristol Flyers ran out 81-64 winners against London Lions at the SGS WISE Arena.

Flyers raced out of the blocks to build a double digit lead in the opening period, after holding the league’s best three point shooting team to just 13% on the night from long range.

Leslee Smith recorded a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds in just 26 minutes of action to lift Flyers back into play-off position with a record of eight wins and eight losses.

"We defended very well for 40 minutes,” Kapoulas told Bristol Flyers TV.

"We forced them to 18 turnovers and scored 24 points from those turnovers and ultimately we kept a talented team like London to just 32% from the field.

“The big thing with London is that they play very aggressive on the defensive end, so we wanted to spread the court to create open opportunities. We did that really well - even when they stepped up their pressure later on in the game.”

"Ultimately, we want to play offence from our defence. That’s where it all starts for us. The only thing we need to do on the offensive is have good spacing and share the ball to find the best shot possible.”Kapoulas was quick to praise the team’s hard work in practice after suffering successive defeats to Worcester Wolves and Leicester Riders away from home.

"The last couple of weeks in particular we’ve been working really hard in practice,” Kapoulas added.

“We felt our effort could have been better in the Worcester game and we missed a lot of shots against Leicester that effected the result of the game.

“To be a good defensive team, you have to work hard in practice and I feel we’re working very hard. We’ve just got to stay consistent and the results will be evident on the court.

Flyers travel to Glasgow Rocks on Friday, February 2nd, LIVE on the BBC Sport website, before Tony Garbelotto’s men make the trip to Bristol a week later on Saturday, February 10th. Limited tickets are still able to buy online.

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