NEW signing Robert Gilchrist made an immediate impact as he starred in Worcester Wolves’ 97-90 win over Plymouth Raiders at the University of Worcester Arena.

The Great Britain ace was thrust straight into the action after arriving on a month-long deal last Friday and helped Wolves survive a rollercoaster encounter.

Worcester roared back from a double-figure first quarter deficit to lead by half-time.

An indifferent third period saw them again fall behind before recovering to securing a third successive victory in the British Basketball League.

Head coach Paul James said: “Plymouth like to run.

“We had a plan to slow them down and that’s something we clearly didn’t do in the first quarter.

“But we got better as the game went on. Plymouth just wouldn’t go away. I’m thankful that we got the win.”

In a night of balanced scoring Trayvon Palmer led the way with 19 points, followed by Dallin Bachynski with 15 points and Gilchrist on 14.

Ashton Khan, George Beamon and Alex Navajas counted down with 12, 11 and 10 points respectively.

Gilchrist also tallied eight rebounds and four blocked shots, drawing praise from James for an imposing debut.

“Robert has only just arrived but was able to make an immediate impact,” James said.

“He did great things for the team, especially defensively.”

It took more than two minutes for Worcester to get on the scoreboard but by the midway point in the opening quarter they were already 18-6 behind.

Gilchrist was introduced to home fans with several trips to the foul line as Wolves toiled to keep in touch, trailing 28-17 by the end of the period.

Bachynski sank a rare three-pointer to spark a revival as six points apiece for Palmer and Beamon, coupled with swarming defence, dragged matters back to 35-35 four minutes before the interval.

Bachynski rejected an attack from his fellow seven-footer Zak Wells, setting up a move-ahead triple from Navajas.

The sides were once more tied at 44-44 in the first minute of the second half. The big man excitement continued when Bachynski thundered past defenders for a powerful one-handed dunk.

As the third quarter wound down Raiders were again in front at 66-58, before a Gilchrist basket and a skilful Palmer three as he fell backwards closed the scores.

Elvisi Dusha was also on target from distance as the final quarter began with a 66-66 tie.

The back-and-forth continued with another Wells drive edging Plymouth 82-81 ahead with four minutes to go.

Khan danced to the hoop to regain Worcester’s advantage. Unable to curtail Khan’s speed, Raiders were forced to repeatedly foul Wolves’ captain, allowing him to seal the win from the free-throw line. Wolves will be back at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday (7.30pm) for the first leg of their BBL Cup semi-final against Sheffield Sharks.