The Riders are set to take on a weekend of Women’s British Basketball League action, going up against the Cardiff Met Archers and Durham Palatinates in back-to-back home games.
Here’s a look at the Riders season so far…
The state of play
Leicester are currently third in the Championship standings with a 6-2 record. Their only two losses have come to the undefeated London Lions, which came after they hit the ground running under new Head Coach Ben Stanley’s leadership following a 4-0 start.
The Riders enter the games off the back of a tough loss to the table-topping London Lions. The Lions beat the Riders 43-85 to remain undefeated on the season.
Katie Januszewska provided a bright spark off the bench for Leicester with 11 points in 19 minutes, going 5-7 from the field, but the Riders couldn’t get it going offensively, especially from deep where they went 3-22.
Former WNBA guard Temi Fagbenle went off for London in the visitor’s win, scoring 22 points in as many minutes.
Crashing the glass
The Riders have made their name on the boards this season, pulling down 43.4 rebounds per game, the second most in the League.
This applies especially on the offensive side of the ball. Leicester crashes the glass of their own missed shots wire to wire, and their 14.5 offensive boards per game rank the highest of any team.
Rayven Peeples has particularly impressed in that department. She has averaged 10.3 rebounds per game, the third most of any player in the League. She leads the League in offensive rebounds with 5.8, generating consistent second-chance opportunities for the Riders.
They’ll look to continue that trend this weekend against the two teams that grab the fewest defensive rebounds in the League this season.
Weekend opponents
The Riders will take on the Cardiff Met Archers and Durham Palatinates this weekend, two teams they have had success against already this season.
Leicester took on the Archers in November, beating them 110-64 in South Wales. Their leading scorer on the season, Taylor O’Brien, put up 26 points and 6 rebounds in the win, where the Riders shot 52.4% from the field and 37.5% from three.
The Archers currently sit bottom of the League table, going winless through eight games. As for the Palatinates, they’re currently ninth in the table with a 2-5 record.
The Riders took them on in late January, once again going on the road and taking home the win. This time, it was a 75-62 victory, led by 15 each from GB wing Sam Ashby and Peeples.
Leicester will need to replicate their wins from earlier in the season to continue their pursuit of the top end of the table.
Support the team
Tickets are available for both of these fixtures, which will be played at the Loughborough University Netball Centre.
We face Cardiff Met Archers on Saturday at 6pm, and Durham Palatinates on Sunday at 1 pm.
