Hard-fought win for Raiders

SPORTING drama on a Sunday afternoon seems to be the fashion in Plymouth recently, this time it was the turn of the Plymouth Raiders to put on a nail biting display for their fans with the visit of Oxford Hoops.

- By MARTYN NORMAN

Plymouth had faced Oxford away from home just 24 hours before tip off at the Life Centre, a game in which the greens would lose 80-68, but as seen time and time again this season when backed by their home fans Raiders inevitably walk away with a win.

Jamie Davies would open the scoring for Raiders with a deep three point shot. A string of trips to the free throw line for Oxford and a threepoint shot saw them open up a small lead, as the Raiders' offence stuttered against an Oxford team that is as physical as they are.

A combination of Mark Gilbard and captain fantastic Dan Taylor sparked the Raiders' offence into life with four minutes to go, with both men making baskets as Plymouth clawed their way back into the game with the score tied at 11 each.

Defensively Tom Elliot-Smith and Bradley Newton-Clark started to lay a marker down in their physical war with Oxford, a battle that wouldn't have looked out of place during an Exeter Chiefs game. Oxford would end the first quarter with a slim 16-19 lead, a contest which was a basketball battle of attrition and not one for the faint hearted.