Preview: Leicester Riders hope to build on commanding lead in Playoff Quarter-Final Second Leg

Leicester Riders host Bristol Flyers in the second leg of the Super League Basketball Playoff Quarter-Final. 

Leicester Riders, following an impressive performance in the first leg on the road, have a commanding 23 point advantage to start the second leg.

Leicester now look to seal the deal at home to progress through to the semi-final.

Fixture information

Leicester Riders vs Bristol Flyers

Super League Basketball Playoff Quarter-Final Second Leg

Mattioli Arena, Leicester

Monday, May 5, 1:30 pm

Tickets still available!

Leicester Riders defence grounds Flyers

The Riders beat Bristol Flyers 55-78 in the First Leg to put themselves in prime position to progress through to the next round of the postseason. 

Zach Jackson scored 18 and Jaylin Hunter 17 to lead Leicester to the win, which was led on the defensive end of the floor. Leicester held Bristol to 4 points in the first six minutes of the second half to build their lead. 

The Flyers shot 34% from the field and turned the ball over 15 times, leading to 14 Riders points on the break. Their leading scorer on the season, Kedrian Johnson, managed only 11 points and was still Bristol’s top scorer of the night. 

The Riders had success at home against Bristol this season, and now look to end their season in Leicester. 

Rob Paternostro and Jaylin Hunter praise Riders defensive efforts.

Following the First Leg win, April SLB Coach of the Month Rob Paternostro was quick to give credit to his side’s defensive play. 

“From the second quarter on we did a great job on the defensive end of the floor,” said Paternostro. “In the first half I thought we missed a lot of good opportunities at the rim. In the second half we got those to go, kept the defence up and now we have a healthy lead.

“These guys had a good week of preparation. We weren’t able to really go at it because we came off the back of a busy schedule to end the season, but mentally we were locked in coming into the game and that’s what you saw on the court.

“Maybe we missed a few opportunities at times, but over the course of 40 minutes we were solid defensively.”

Paternostro was asked what the emphasis was on going into the Second Leg with a healthy lead. With his 17 years of experience as a 17-time trophy winner, Paternostro knows how to approach these matchups. 

“You can’t be a mathematician. There’s no reason to start doing math in your head. We need to go out and do what we usually do- play to win.” 

Hunter was named Player of the Game with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. 

In typical fashion for the American rookie, he gave all credit to his teammates. 

“Tonight was a complete team effort,” he explained postgame. “The stats look good but I wouldn’t be here without my team. We had a lot of focus on the defensive end which led to lots of opportunities on offence.

“Defence is something we came here wanting to take pride in. It was good the last couple of times we played Bristol but we wanted to tighten a couple of things up to help our offence even more, and that’s what happened today.”

Hunter was asked about the impact of the travelling Riders support, which was seen in the stands up and down the country all season long. 

“Not just today, but every away game this season they’ve been incredible. The Riders fans are the best in the country and I’m happy we were able to get a win for them.”

Paint the town red

Make sure to wear red to the arena for Monday’s playoff game- let’s make a red wall to protect our house!

Tickets still available!