Leicester Riders are ready to take on Manchester Basketball on the road in the Super League Basketball Cup Quarter-Final.
Leicester look to bounce back after a road defeat to London Lions on the weekend, meanwhile a well-rested Manchester side suit up for the first time since falling to the Riders on January 10.
Here’s all you need to know about the game…
Fixture information
Manchester Basketball vs Leicester Riders
Super League Basketball Cup Quarter-Final
National Basketball Performance Centre
Wednesday, January 22, 7:30 PM
Riders look for response to Sunday’s defeat
Leiecster Riders entered Sunday’s game against London Lions as the League leaders, but lost their spot atop the table with a loss to the Lions.
The Riders were down by as much as 19 in the second quarter and brought it back to a four point game in the fourth, but the Lions hit big shots late to rebuild their lead and take the win.
Charles Thompson and Riley Abercrombie, the stars of Friday’s win against Caledonia Gladiators, hit big shots to start the second half to trigger the comeback- Thompson leading the team with 14 come the final buzzer.
The Riders have won 4 of their last 6 games in the League, and have consistently climbed the standings game week by game week.
But now they turn their attention to knockout basketball, and the chance to make their second semi-final of the season on the road in Manchester.
Manchester back home after two game road trip
After a red hot December saw Manchester find form, a 1-2 start to a lightly scheduled January thus far halted the North Westerner’s charge up the standings.
They fell to Cheshire Phoenix and Leicester Riders on the road, but have hung their hat on their home form so far this season. They went undefeated at home in the League in December, and won their only home game in January against the high-flying Sheffield Sharks.
They spent their previous two games on the road, therefore they will therefore relish the chance to progress to the SLB Cup Semi-Final by welcoming the Riders to town, but will hope for a different result to the last time they faced Leicester. The Riders won 89-76, Zach Jackson leading the team with 21 points.
Manchester hung in the game until the end of the third, when Abercrombie went off for 13 straight points to blow the game wide open. Nathan Cayo continued his impressive start to life in Manchester by leading the visitors with 16, the top three scorer in the League falling just a point short of his season average.
Key Matchup
Two Australian-born forwards are set to go head-to-head from the forward position in tomorrow’s game, as Donovan Mitchell and Abercrombie face off.
Both enjoyed productive nights last time these sides played, Mitchell logging 16 points and 8 rebounds while Abercrombie went 15 and 8, including the red hot run it the third to win the game.
Mitchell, who grew up in the United States, has experience in the BNXT League and the Polish league, and like Abercrombie suited up in Australia’s NBL 1. He helped the Gold Coast Rollers win the 2022 NBL1 North championship.
Meanwhile Abercrombie, a first year pro out of the University of North Colorado, played for Illawarra Hawks in the NBL 1, where he averaged 23.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Abercrombie’s season with the Hawks featured back-to-back 38 point games, five 30 point outings and six double doubles over 19 games.
The 6’9″ sharpshooter is rounding into form at the mid point of the season, scoring 26 against Caledonia Gladiators last Friday.
Meanwhile Mitchell has scored in double digits in his last seven league games, setting up an intense head-to-head between the two Australian-born ballers.
Where to watch
This game will be streamed live on DAZN! You can watch it here.
