Surrey Scorchers suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of the visiting Manchester Giants in the British Basketball League Championship.
Despite leading in the opening quarter, Scorchers were unable to defend against a tireless and organised Giants side.
Morakinyo Williams and Anthony Elechi joined the squad for their first BBL appearances in a Scorchers jersey.
Williams was granted a start by Head Coach Creon Raftopoulos, and it was clear to see that his physical presence defensively was making a difference as he helped to keep the in-form Willie Clayton at bay.
Continuing from his standout performance on New Year’s Day, Quincy Taylor was electric in the opening quarter; racking up 10 points and several assists.
However, Giants responded quickly before half-time, limiting shots from beyond the arc and knocking down everything that came their way.
Elechi joined the fray, and instantly made an impact with his defensive and offensive rebounding, but Manchester held on for a 19-point lead at the break.
Scorchers came out firing in the second-half, Captain Tayo Ogedengbe driving at the heart of the Giants defence to draw numerous fouls.
Torry Butler proved to be the key man for Giants, consistently finding space to accumulate a massive 30-points by the final buzzer.
Surrey never gave up the chase despite the score line, with many academy players making their way on court to gain some valuable minutes.
Nevertheless, there was too much ground to be made up, and Giants claimed a 78-105 victory.