Manchester Basketball fell 94-77 on the road in the Super League Basketball to the Surrey 89ers.

Max Jones led Manchester with 22 points and 3 rebounds, backed by Zak Irvin’s 13 points and 5 rebounds, and Jordan Johnson’s 13 points off the bench.

Matt Nicholson had success on the boards, grabbing 9 rebounds, as did Duke Shelton, who pulled down 8. Pjay Smith dished 8 assists from the point.

It was a positive start to the game for Manchester, who ran out to an 11-point lead by the end of the opening period. Triples from Tim Adetukasi and Smith started an 11-2 run to end the quarter to make it 30-19.

Surrey battled back in the second to take a five-point lead going into the half, but Manchester rallied after the break. Irvin and Shelton got the visitors going with a string of buckets, then Smith and Johnson from the backcourt piled on the points to put Manchester up 8 with one to play.

The fourth quarter was the Niner’s, however, as they rallied back into the lead midway through the fourth, and ran through the tape late. Manchester lost their offensive form in the final 10 minutes as the game got away from them down the stretch.

The result means Manchester’s record in the SLB Championship is 16-11.

Next, they play Newcastle Eagles on the road on Friday, April 10 at 7:30 pm. They return to the National Basketball Performance Centre on Sunday, April 12, to play Bristol Flyers at 3:00 pm.

You can get your tickets here!