Leicester Riders got back to winning ways, beating Bristol Flyers 83-74 to improve to 6-2 in the Super League Basketball Championship.
A red hot first quarter saw the Riders run out to a big lead in the first, which they held until the final buzzer. Zach Jackson led the team with 20 points, going 8-12 from the field, and Riley Abercrombie hit big shots from three to go 14 and 8.
Bristol fought back from 19 down to cut the Riders lead to 5 points in the fourth, before Leicester refound form through the rim protection of Duke Shelton and Charles Thompson, and the three point shooting of Abercrombie to rebuild a big lead.
Thompson logged 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks, and Shelton went off for 9, 5 and 2 on the game.
The League’s leading scorer Keddy Johnson led Bristol with 20 points, but the Flyers made only four threes on the night as they fell to 2-4.
Riders get off to a Flyer
Thompson, off the back of two straight Team of the Week mentions, got going with a hook shot inside and a big block on Corey Samuels in the opening two minutes. The first three Riders scores came in close as they established themselves in the paint from the tip.
A lob from Jaylin Hunter laid in by Jackson made it 11-5. Abecrombie followed with an and-one on the break, and the Riders built a solid foundation early. Abercrombie drained his first three of the game midway through the first to make it 19-5 and force a Flyers timeout.
Out of the timeout, the League’s leading scorer Keddy Johnson got to work with two straight scores to breathe life into the visitors.
Leicester’s response came from deep, with Ethan Wright coming into the game after his 23 point night last time out to connect from the corner. His triple meant the Riders took a 28-13 lead into the second.
Bristol bombard Riders rim to close half
Wright got the second period underway by pulling up from midrange to keep the Riders rolling. Blake Bowman followed up from the wing before getting a physical defensive stop against Bristol big man Leslee Smith at the rim, and Wright added to his tally inside to make it a 19 point lead for Leicester.
Keddy Johnson continued to go to work, making his tally 10 with an and one. A turnover in transition then gave Bristol an easy two, and the Riders called timeout with their advantage cut to 13.
Leicester locked down defensively to stem the run, before Jackson put four more points on the board. But the Flyers were aggressive to close the half, bombarding the bucket in close to keep in contention. Kendall Lewis and Desmond Robinson combined for eight points near the end of the second quarter, and the sides went into the locker rooms with the score 51-37.
Shelton and Thompson end Flyers run of form
After a successful end to the first half, Robinson started the second with five quick points as the Flyers fightback continued. A three from the top from the 6’9” American cut the lead to single digits for the first time since the first quarter.
Hunter stemmed the momentum with an open three from the wing, but Lewis snatched it right back with a putback jam off a Keddy Johnson miss.
Working inside for Leiceter, Shelton drew an and-one play in the post, finished for two in the pick and roll and emphatically blocked a driving Samuels. But Bristol climbed back into it at the rim through Smith and Keddy Johnson, cutting it to five with an 8-0 run.
After being sidelined through injury for some of the third, Thompson checked back into the game to get four straight points and rebuilt the Leicester lead. Jackson closed the third with a tough floater and a pair of foul shots, and the Riders were up 69-60 going into the fourth.
Abercrombie shot making seals win
The Flyers remained in contention to start the fourth with big shot making. Robinson brought his tally to 15, before Lewis connected from three to stay within single digits.
But a Thompson takeover lit a spark for Leicester, as he swatted Evan Walshe’s attempt out of bounds for his third block, before finishing for two next time up. Jackson connected from midrange, and Abercrombie from three to follow their big man, and the Riders led 80-67.
Abercrombie hit again from the top- his third three from that spot on the night, to make it a 16 point lead for the hosts.
The Riders locked down to keep Bristol scoreless over three minutes late in the game, sealing their fifth League win on the bounce.
Lions up next
The Riders take on the table-topping London Lions next on Monday December 30.
Get your tickets here as the Riders look to dent the Lions’ hot streak and continue their climb up table.
