Leicester Riders suffered a narrow 87–89 defeat to Manchester Basketball in the SLB Championship on Friday night at the Mattioli Arena, as the visitors held on to claim victory in a closely contested encounter that went down to the final possession.
The Riders battled throughout against a strong Manchester side, remaining within touching distance and giving themselves a chance to snatch the win in the closing seconds. Despite an encouraging offensive performance and valuable contributions from across the roster, Leicester were ultimately left to rue a narrow defeat as their search for a first win of the season continued.
Deante Johnson Jr. led the way for the Riders with an impressive 21 points and eight rebounds, delivering his strongest performance in a Leicester uniform to date. Taryn Todd added 15 points, while JJ White showcased his scoring ability and playmaking vision, finishing with 16 points and eight assists. TJ Hurley also made a valuable contribution off the bench, adding 12 points to help keep Leicester firmly in contention.
With the game hanging in the balance, the Riders had one final opportunity to find a game tying basket. Trailing by two with just five seconds remaining, Leicester inbounded the ball to Todd, who attacked the basket with a quick move to get downhill before rising for a contested dunk attempt. However, the effort fell short, allowing Manchester to escape with the victory as the final buzzer sounded.
The defeat marks a sixth consecutive loss for the Riders, making the narrow margin all the more difficult to take. Friday’s result follows another agonising loss on the road against Surrey, where Leicester was denied victory by a buzzer-beating shot before eventually falling in overtime.
Despite the results, the Riders have continued to show signs of improvement with each outing, and Friday’s performance once again demonstrated their ability to compete. However, the focus will now be on turning those encouraging performances into results as Leicester continue their search for that elusive first win.
Attention now turns to another home fixture, with the Riders set to welcome old rivals Newcastle Eagles to the Mattioli Arena on Friday, 30 October. Leicester will be determined to put things right in front of their home supporters and get their season up and running.
