Leicester Riders put on an explosive second half display to take an 89-76 win against Manchester Basketball.
A slow start meant Leicester trailed for much of the first half, but 13 straight points in the third from player of the game Riley Abercrombie including three consecutive triples gave Leicester a commanding lead.
Abercrombie finished the game with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks- an impressive display on both ends. Zach Jackson led the scoring with 21, going off for 11 in the fourth, and Charles Thompson continued his dominant run with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Led by Abercrombie’s hot hand, Leicester won the third quarter 28-11 which ultimately proved the difference in the game. Manchester, led by Donovan Micthell’s 16 points and 8 rebounds, battled wire-to-wire and threatened to make a run back into it in the fourth.
They fell victim to a poor deep shooting night, going 4-17 from three, and lost the rebounding battle 41-32.
The Riders improve to 8-3 on the season, one win behind the first placed London Lions.
Riders start slow against physical Manchester play
Manchester applied full court pressure from the tip off, guarding the Riders for all 94 feet to make progressing the ball up court difficult. Jaylin Hunter received the brunt of the ball pressure from the point, but coped well to score the host’s first four points.
The Riders fought to the foul line in a physical first quarter for most of their offensive output. But Manchester’s Nathan Cayo scored six quickly with an and-one and a triple from the top to take a 14-8 lead.
Leicester tried to garner momentum on the fastbreak as Hunter fired in a bounce pass to Jackson after Duke Shelton forced a miss inside, but the visitors repeatedly found their way to the rim to extend their lead. Marucus Delpeche leaked out after a Riders score to end the quarter, and made one of two to make the score 21-13.
Riders make it a game by the half
Shelton got the second started in style, throwing down a monster jam through traffic. He took the ball in the pick-and-roll from Conner Washington before rising over and throwing it down one handed.
Ethan Wright and Spencer Johnson followed with buckets, and Shelton put back Wright’s missed triple as the Riders clawed back into it. But Manchester kept Leicester at arm’s length with key shot making in spots throughout the second.
Mitchell led the team with 10 points midway into the period, hitting a big three to stop the Riders run.
As the half neared its close, Leicester’s rim protection stepped up for two monster blocks from Charles Thompson, Riley Abercrombie and Johnson. The defensive stands meant the Riders trailed only a possession at the break, with the score 35-38.
Abercrombie heater gives Leicester the lead.
Jackson leveled the score immediately out the break. He pulled up from three with no hesitation to make it 38-38 but despite multiple chances at the hoop on the next few possessions the hosts couldn’t take the lead straight away.
That was until Thompson stepped up on both ends. He took the ball with his back to the basket for a score before sending Cayo’s dunk attempt away to set up a Hunter transition bucket to give the Riders the lead.
Leicester’s paint was locked off from their rim protection. Abercrombie sent away his second shot of the game, emphatically blocking Makai Ashton-Langford’s layup. The Riders’ points came on the break after defensive stops, Thompson this time getting to the lane on the breakaway.
Abercrombie caught a heater to close the third. He drained three straight triples and single handedly built the lead to nine- Leicester’s biggest of the game. He followed up with two scores for 13 straight points for the hosts.
Thompson joined in on the block party to swat Ian Dubose for the Riders’ sixth block of the matchup. That ended the third with Leicester leading 65-49.
Jackson sees Riders home
Shelton started the fourth with a putback from Jackson’s miss to keep the Riders rolling. But Manchester’s intensity didn’t drop despite a disappointing third- Mitchell draining a three to lead a 7-5 Manchester start to the fourth.
Jackson connected with his next attempt from three to keep Manchester at a distance on the scoreboard, before Conner Washington hit a signature pullup three to follow his teammate. However Junior Madut made tough shots on the other end to keep his side in contention.
Dubose then broke out for an open dunk to force a Riders timeout up nine, with Rob Paternstro urging his side to slow the pace of the game late.
Out of the timeout, Leicester’s leading scorer Jackson took over for back to back buckets at the rim to reestablish the Riders’ control of the matchup. Thompson hit on the buzzer next time down and Leicester led by 14.
Jackson put the cherry on the performance with a stepback three, putting the result beyond a doubt with his 18th points.
Rematch on Sunday
Leicester Riders head to Manchester for the second of a doubleheader against the Northwesterners on Sunday. They will face off in the Super League Basketball Quarter-Final at the National Basketball Performance Centre, with Leicester looking to progress to the Final Four.
The Riders then return to Championship action at home next Friday against the Caledonia Gladiators on January 17.
The Riders return to Championship action next Friday against the Caledonia Gladiators on January 17.
