Leicester Riders opened their 2026 home campaign in style with a hard-fought 102–95 win over Manchester Basketball at the Mattioli Arena, powered by a clutch second half performance from Tomiwa Sulaiman, who was named Trophies Plus Medals Player of the Game.
Riders Set the Tone
Captain Spencer Johnson got the crowd on their feet early with a three from deep, before SLB Player of the Month RaeQuan Battle announced himself with a thunderous dunk. Manchester responded through Patrick Smith Jr, who began causing problems for the Riders’ defence, but Leicester shared the scoring well, with Nate Martin and Aaron Menzies both making their presence felt inside. The Riders’ depth showed as they edged the opening period 27–23.
Momentum Swings
Manchester brought energy to start the second, but the Riders kept finding answers. Travis Evee and Flynn Boardman-Raffet linked up in transition, while Marc Loving and Donald Carey Jr kept the offence ticking. Johnson buried his second triple to level the game before Menzies set a huge screen for Battle, who drained a late three to swing momentum Leicester’s way. Kaiyem Cleary hit back at the buzzer, leaving the teams tied 53–53 at halftime.
Credit: Leicester Riders Media
Manchester Push Back
Battle opened the half with another triple, but Manchester began to take control through Adetukasi and Cleary, stretching out a seven-point lead. Carey Jr answered in style, knocking down back-to-back threes to pull the Riders back level. Tomiwa Sulaiman then swung the momentum with two triples and a layup late in the quarter, trimming the gap to just one as Manchester led 78–77 heading into the fourth.
Credit: Leicester Riders Media
Sulaiman Takes Over
With the game in the balance, Sulaiman took centre stage. He hit free throws, finished inside and produced a huge defensive block as the Riders’ bench made a major impact. Johnson once again came up clutch with a triple to give Leicester the lead, before Sulaiman converted a three-point play to push the advantage out to four.
Marc Loving continued his strong night, while Battle and Evee knocked down timely shots to keep Manchester at bay. Loving’s 19th point and another late triple from Johnson took the Riders past 100, and despite a late push from Patrick Smith Jr, Leicester stayed composed at the line to close it out.
Credit: Leicester Riders Media
The final buzzer confirmed a 102–95 victory, with Sulaiman’s outstanding second half earning him Player of the Game honours as the Riders made it back-to-back wins over Manchester.
