Manchester Basketball marked their first home league game of the 2026–27 season with a 79–67 victory over Surrey 89ers at the National Basketball Performance Centre on Sunday.[5][6]
The hosts established an early advantage and finished strongly, winning the first quarter 18–11 and the fourth 27–20. Surrey edged the middle two periods 19–18 and 17–16, but Manchester retained enough control to secure a 12-point win.[5]
Manchester’s shooting makes the difference
Manchester converted 47.6 per cent of their field-goal attempts, compared with Surrey’s 38.8 per cent. The gap was particularly clear from long range: the hosts made eight of 26 three-point attempts, while the visitors finished four of 24.[5]
Chandler Piggé supplied an efficient all-round performance for Manchester with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists. Great Britain guard Luke Nelson added 13 points, five rebounds and five assists.[5]
Surrey’s Jalen Graham led all scorers with 22 points and collected 15 rebounds, but the visitors could not translate their advantage on the glass into enough points. Surrey won the rebounding count 45–38, including a 15–5 advantage on the offensive boards.[5]
Manchester protected the ball slightly better, committing 12 turnovers to Surrey’s 13, and moved it effectively enough to record 20 assists. Surrey finished with 13.[5]
Strong response in the final quarter
Manchester led 36–30 at half-time before Surrey reduced the margin by one point in the third period. The game therefore remained within reach entering the final ten minutes.
The hosts responded with their best offensive quarter, scoring 27 points to prevent Surrey completing the comeback. The final margin reflected Manchester’s superior shooting rather than dominance in every area of the game.
The fixture was the club’s first home SLB appearance of the new campaign, with Manchester having promoted the game as its 2026–27 home league opener.[6]
After a demanding start to the season that included Basketball Champions League qualifying action in Bulgaria, the result gives Manchester a useful domestic foundation. Their ability to combine Piggé’s versatility with Nelson’s organisation should be important as the Championship schedule develops.
For Surrey, Graham’s interior production and the team’s rebounding provide positives, but four made three-pointers from 24 attempts left too much pressure on their work around the basket.
Sources
[5] Manchester Basketball 79-67 Surrey 89ers — result and statistics