The Leicester Riders tipped off their season in spirited fashion, pushing the London Lions all the way before falling narrowly short in a hard-fought contest at the Mattioli Arena.
Evee Sparks Riders Early
The night began brightly as Travis Evee opened the Riders’ account with a smooth three-pointer to ignite the home crowd. London hit back quickly through Joel Scott and Shavar Reynolds Jr., edging ahead 5–3 inside the opening minutes. Scott continued to impose himself with four early points, setting the tone for the Lions.
The Riders responded well. Evee and Spencer Johnson linked up smartly, with Johnson adding points from the free-throw line to level the score. Momentum swung further when Flynn Boardman-Raffet sank a confident three, before Emmanuel Akot drove hard to the rim to put the Riders in front 12–11.
The opening period proved a back-and-forth battle, with Evee adding more from the stripe to keep the scoreboard ticking. However, London ended the quarter with a buzzer-beating three, leaving the Riders trailing 14–18 at the break.
Credit: Leicester Riders | Nathan Green
Lions Take Control Before Half
The Lions came out strong after the restart, stretching their advantage to eight points and forcing an early Riders timeout. Out of the huddle, Duke Shelton showcased his defensive authority with a huge block that sparked a Riders counter, giving Leicester fresh energy.
Akot continued to make things happen offensively, adding to his tally, while off the bench Mike Mitchell Jr. made an immediate impact, driving to the basket and setting up Nate Martin for a composed finish.
Despite those flashes, London’s Cerian Sandy caught fire, scoring seven points in the quarter to keep the Riders chasing. Mitchell and Akot combined well late in the half to cut the deficit to single digits, but a tough closing stretch saw Leicester head into the locker room down by 11. At the half, Akot and Boardman-Raffet led the Riders’ scoring with six points apiece.
Riders Dig In After the Break
The Riders came out determined in the second half. Tomiwa Sulaiman got things moving with a strong drive to the basket, while Martin battled hard, forcing a turnover and finishing inside.
Johnson worked tirelessly on the glass, pulling down his sixth rebound to spark another Riders fast break led by Evee. Shelton once again reminded the Lions of his presence with his trademark shot-blocking, anchoring the defence.
As the quarter wound down, Mitchell Jr. controlled the tempo and found Akot for a key score that cut the deficit to just eight. Heading into the fourth, the Riders trailed 48–56 but had momentum on their side.
Credit: Leicester Riders | Nathan Green
Evee Inspires Late Comeback
The Riders refused to go quietly. Evee slipped a silky pass to Boardman-Raffet for two before Duke brought the arena to its feet with his first dunk of the night. The energy surged, and Leicester clawed their way back into contention.
With five minutes to play, Evee buried a deep three to bring the Riders within two. The guard caught fire, hitting back-to-back triples and causing all sorts of problems for the Lions defence. With Boardman-Raffet and Martin both reaching double figures and Johnson leading on the boards with six rebounds, Leicester had the crowd on their feet as the game went down to the wire.
In the end, the Riders fell short, as the game finished 72-79 but the Riders showed immense fight, spirit, and flashes of quality that promise plenty for the season ahead.
Next Game
The Riders are back in action at the Mattioli Arena on Friday, 26th September, at 7:30pm where they’ll face the Sheffield Sharks in what promises to be another exciting matchup Tickets on sale HERE.
