The Riders face off against the Plymouth City Patriots on Friday for their second game of the season, looking to even up their record at 1-1.
Here, we look back at last season’s series between the two sides.
Season sweep
The Riders took the season sweep against the Patriots last year, winning all four of their games against the South Westerners.
Kimbal Mackenzie in particular had success in the matchup, putting up two 20-point scoring nights, including a 23-point and seven-assist performance in late March.
Leicester averaged over 100 points against the Patriots last season, Rob Paternostro’s side finding the holes in Plymouth’s defence consistently.
They concluded the season against Plymouth with a 111-68 win, with Mackenzie putting up 20 points in the game.
Nailbiting finish
The Riders needed every point of Mackenzie’s 23-point outing in March, as the Riders and Patriots played out a game wire-to-wire.
It was a 92-89 Leicester win at the Morningside Arena come the final buzzer, with the game was in the balance throughout.
Mackenzie finished the fixture with a pair of free throws to put the Riders up three, before Elivis Dusha’s three-point attempt was blocked by Marc Loving to conclude the action.
But Plymouth’s Rashad Hassan who put a late scare into his former team with a minute left, making a layup to cut it to one and coming up with a block on the next possession to give the Patriots a chance to take a late lead.
The Riders saw the game out through a clutch steal from Jubril Adekoya and Mackenzie’s free throws, and went on to secure second place in the league table.
Battle of the backcourt
This season featured revamped rosters on both sides, making Friday’s action a different task for the Riders than they faced last season.
The matchup in the backcourt remains the same, however, as Mackenzie faces up against Plymouth captain Elvisi Dusha.
Dusha had a pair of team-leading performances last season, putting up 24 points in the first matchup between the sides and 19 points later in the year.
Both games were in Plymouth, so Dusha will look to see his performances translate to the Morningside Arena floor to challenge Mackenzie in this one.
Get tickets to the Riders’ Friday night fixture against Plymouth City Patriots!
