Leicester Riders battled out for an 85-74 win at home to the Caledonia Gladiators, led by Riley Abercrombie’s season high scoring night.
He went off for 27 points, going 5-8 from three in a red hot shooting night. He and Spencer Johnson went off from deep late, in what was a closely fought contest until the fourth.
Leicester trailed in the third quarter as Caledonia’s veteran backcourt of Patrick Whelan and Teddy Okereafor hit big shots all night. Whelan played 40 minutes and scored 17, but Trevond Barnes led the visitors off the bench with 22 points in 25 minutes.
Leicester shot 52% from the field and 46% from three in an efficient offensive display. Zach Jackson backed Abercrombie with 16, and Charles Thompson continued his defensive dominance with 3 blocks and 14 points.
They went top of the League with the win and London Lions’ loss in Newcastle, ahead of the Riders facing the Lions on the road on Sunday.
Riders hot start met with Gladiators response
Abercrombie, fresh off his Player of the Game performance last time out, got the Riders going with five points out the gate. He was fouled on a three for a trip to the line, then slammed one down on the break after a Jaylin Hunter steal.
The Riders were on target early, scoring 10 in three minutes, but the Gladiators kept pace through the sharpshooting veteran Okereafor. He drained two early threes to get Caledonia on the board.
But Leicester found separation on the scoreboard midway through the first at the foul line. Abercrombie and Jackson attacked the hoop to earn free throws and put the hosts up 16-8. Abercrombie owned the first, scoring 13 in the quarter.
Caledonia found some form through Trevond Barnes off the bench, who scored 11 in the first 10 minutes. His scoring brought it back to a four points game, as the first ended 27-23 in Leicester’s favour.
Thompson jam takes Riders lead into half
The Gladiators came back to take the lead early in the second. Patrick Whelan, Okereafor, Theo Hughes and Princeton Onwas got to hoop for four buckets and a 32-28 lead. The Caledonia run forced a Rob Paternostro timeout.
Ethan Wright turned the tide after the timeout with a stepback three from the wing. Charles Thompson followed up with a finish inside, before Abercrombie hit a fadeaway to snatch the lead back for Leicester.
But it was a back and forth second quarter, as the visitors responded through Whelan. He hit a tough three for his 12th points, still hot following his career-high 34 points in his last outing. He hit contested buckets all period, at the rim and from range, on his way to 14 by halftime.
The Gladiators spend much of the second in a defensive zone, forcing the Riders to find answers on the offensive end. And they found success against the zone as the clock ticked towards the half with a barrage of buckets in close.
Thompson scored four quick points at the hoop, followed by Jackson who again fought to the foul line to take the lead. Thompson ended the half in style, throwing down a two-handed jam, and Leicester led 44-43 at the half.
Sharpshooting Johnson takes lid off basket
Whelan’s hot hand carried into the second half, as he hit a turnaround three from the wing. Leicester’s defence did step up internally, however, as Abercrombie and Thompson sent away shots emphatically at the rim.
With Leicester’s league leading defence clicking into gear, it was a low scoring start to the third. The teams combined for five points in as many minutes. The Riders forced two shot clock violations out of their opponents before taking the lid off the basket through Spencer Johnson.
The American sniper lined up his sights for a triple against Whelan to get the Riders going offensively. He followed up with another three, this time on the fastbreak following Thompson’s third block, to make it 59-51 with 1:23 left in the third.
Abercrombie ended the third with a tightly contested three, making it 62-53 with one to play.
Riders see out win despite Gladiators resistance
Abercrombie and Johnson’s hot hands led to two threes to start the fourth, giving Leicester a platform to see the game out. Wright drove hard to the hoop for an and-one play three minutes in with the Riders having found the keys to unlock the Caledonia zone.
Barnes kept the Gladiators in contention however, pulling out big baskets throughout the fourth as the difference remained around ten points.
The game hung in the balance with the Caledonia resistance, and Wright and Fraser Malcolm traded threes in the pivotal moment of the game.
Wright’s energy forced a huge play in the clutch. He missed a three short but battled for the offensive board, then found Abercrombie at the top of the arc who drained a three over the contest.
Abercrombie’s three blew the game open, as Hunter hit out of a Caledonia timeout, before dishing a lob pass to Thompson who finished for two. That was the final Riders score of the night, who held on for the win.
The Riders are back in action on Sunday, taking on the London Lions at Copper Box in Championship action.
Leicester Riders are back at home on January 31, taking on Bristol Flyers!
