Tag: Super League Basketball

Leicester Riders made it three league wins on the bounce with a 89-65 victory against Newcastle Eagles at home. 

It was a start-to-finish dominant display for the Riders, who had contributions up and down the roster to win the bench battle 32-20. Zach Jackson led the way with a 20 point performance. He was backed by 17 from star guard Jaylin Hunter and 12 off the bench for Ethan Wright. 

The game marked 500 wins for Head Coach Rob Paternostro, who became the fastest in British basketball top-flight history to the tally. It was a fitting way to make the milestone against the Riders’ historic rivals. 

It was a tough outing for the Eagles, who suffered only their second league defeat of the season. They were led by 13 from Mike Okauru, who went 6-15 from the floor.

The win means the Riders leapfrog the Eagles into third place in the standings with a 4-2 record, and the tiebreaker against Newcastle. It’s three league wins on the bounce for the Riders who are making a surge up the standings during their packed December schedule. 

Leicester will take confidence from the game ahead of a rematch with the Eagles next week in the Trophy semi-final second leg in Leicester.

Eagles fightback to keep it close after one 

The games started at an electric pace, with buckets pouring in in the opening stages in a back-and-forth exchange. The Eagles drew first blood with a triple from their leading scorer on the season Okauru, but the Riders came up with a string of steals which led to a corner three from Hunter giving the hosts a 7-5 lead. 

Leicester’s leading scorer Jackson got in on the action midway through the first for five straight points, including a putback and-one from a Hunter missed triple. Jackson, who led the team last time out against Newcastle, continued to prove too physical for their defence down low. 

The Riders’ defence suffocated Newcastle, leading to four turnovers in six minutes for the visitors and only seven points. 

However, Christian James took the lid off the basket to get the Eagles back in contention. He scored 5 points, including a corner triple, to make it 20-18. The Eagles comeback made it close after one, the score 23-20 in Leicester’s favour. 

Riders bench blows game open in the second

Wright made his impact felt to start the second with a pair of buckets at the hoop. He was followed by a Blake Bowman triple to rebuild the Riders’ advantage to eight. 

With momentum in their corner, Leicester blew the game open through scores from Aussie forward Riley Abercrombie. His three gave the hosts their first double digit lead of the game at 39-28. 

The Riders second unit stepped up in the quarter to maintain Leicester’s lead. 8 points for Wright and 5 for Bowman at the half meant the Eagles couldn’t climb back into the game. 

Hunter checked back in with two minutes left in the half and came up with two scores in succession, before Jackson finished the period with a triple for Leicester to lead 49-40 at the break. 

Sharp shooting Riders build dominant lead

Hunter, driving on the fastbreak, made the play of the game to get the Riders going in the second half. He drove hard to the hoop before dishing a no-look, behind-the-back pass to Jackson who laid it in for two. 

Jackson cooked out of the break, hitting two triples on his way to eight points in three minutes and a 57-46 lead. Leicester held a double digit lead through the third quarter, despite the Eagles chipping away with buckets at the basket. 

The threes poured in for the Riders with Spencer Johnson, Hunter and Jackson heating up to keep Newcastle at distance. Baskets from Conner Washington on the fastbreak and Bowman at the rim made it 74-59 with one left, the Riders in firm control of proceedings. 

Leicester see it out in defensive fourth quarter 

The Riders stamped their authority on the final quarter early to leave little doubt. Bowman and Wright again combined for back-to-back buckets to make the score 80-59 with 8 minutes on the clock.

Leicester’s defence locked down Newcastle, who went scoreless in two minutes in the fourth. Meanwhile offensively they pounded the paint, with Duke Shelton mucking his way to an and-one inside.

Sprinting through the final line, Hunter put the cherry on top of the game with a fastbreak finish for two. 

A low scoring fourth concluded the action for Leicester to get it over the line. The final period was won by the Riders to finish off an impressive victory, and a statement ahead of next week’s semi final. 

You can get tickets to the semi final here!

Leicester Riders pulled off a second half fightback in the Trophy semi-final first leg to keep their Trophy final hopes alive. 

Down 17 points at the half, the Riders made it a four point game at the final buzzer. The final score was 95-91, and the sides will go back to Leicester with the tie in the balance for the second leg. 

Zach Jackson led the game with 24 points and 5 rebounds, backed by Charles Thompson who was pivotal in the paint, going off for 18 points and 14 rebounds, making big buckets in the fourth. 

After giving up 38 points in the second quarter, the Riders’ defence locked down in the second half to climb into the game. Turnovers proved costly against the roadrunning Eagles side, the Riders losing the battle 17-7, but Leicester’s second half shot making meant all is to play for in the second leg. 

Newcastle’s Seneca Knight led their efforts with 23 points and 4 rebounds, but the bench was the difference in the game. The Eagles’ bench scored 47 to the Riders’ 18, with former Rider Josh Ward-Hibbert bagging 18. 

Riders overcome slow start to lead after one

Riders’ star duo of Jaylin Hunter and Thompson found themselves on the same page from the jump to combine for two highlights in the first period. 

The first score of the game saw Hunter sling a pass through traffic to Thompson, who threw down the first points one handed, then two minutes later Thompson found another lane to the rim from a Hunter feed and threw down another. 

The Eagles were in rhythm early, however, to take a 12-6 lead. They entered the game leading all teams in fastbreak points, and took advantage of early Leicester turnovers to get easy scores in transition led by 10 points from Knight. 

The Riders clawed back from the foul line, shooting seven free throws including a Duke Shelton and-one, who then took the lead for the visitors from the midrange. Hunter ended a breathless first period with a triple, meaning Leicester led 23-21. 

Newcastle take charge in the second

Newcastle took charge early in the second quarter with a relentless flow of buckets. They started on a 13-2 run capped off by a Knight three which forced a Riders timeout down nine points. Josh Ward-Hibbert scored five straight out of the break, with Leicester in need of a response. 

Hunter stopped the bleeding with a finish at the rim with six minutes left in the half, followed by Wright on the fastbreak. Leicester’s offence clicked into gear, but couldn’t stop the Eagles on the other end to cut into the deficit. 

Knight built on his hot start to bring his tally to 14, and Jordan Spencer got in on the action with a triple from the top. Hunter hit back with four points, and he finished the second with 13, but Cole Long’s three made it a 17 point deficit for the Riders at the half. 

Newcastle scored 38 points in a red hot second quarter, putting themselves in firm control.

Fightback begins in the third

Jackson and Spencer Johnson got to work early in the third to chip four points off the Eagles lead immediately. Thompson found joy inside for back-to-back buckets, and Leicester trailed by 11 after three minutes of the second half. 

Newcastle, through another Long three, bolstered their lead in response to the Riders run. But the Riders were a different side to the one seen in the second quarter, forcing the Eagles’ possessions to run deep into the shot clock.

Jackson’s hustle turned what appeared an open layup for Spencer into a chasedown block, before Thompson scored on Long and blocked Christian James on the other end to make the score 71-61. 

Leicester make it a game

Jackson took over the game to close the third. He scored six straight points, battling to the rim and fighting through contact to put the ball in the bucket, and keep the Riders in contention going into the fourth. The score was 76-67 with one left. 

They remained at arm’s length to start the fourth with Riley Abercrombie scoring on the break, and Jackson draining a three. Jackson hustled for a loose ball after a Riders turnover, leading to another Thompson jam, and it was quickly a six point game. 

On the next run up, James was fouled on a triple to add three points to the Eagles tally. Long scored on a drive to the hoop to make the hosts’ lead 11 and force a Riders timeout. 

But out of the break, Wright and Hunter found string on threes to snatch back momentum and make it a game late on. Wright, again fighting for space down low, made it a one possession game with three minutes left. 

With the tie in the balance and James driving to the hoop, Wright rose high for a monster chasedown block. Wright then ran the break and found Hunter, who drained a triple in a huge sequence for the Riders. 

Wright had a chance to take the lead with a triple, but hit iron on his shot. Knight then drained a corner three with less than a minute left to build the Eagles lead back to four. Leicester held on for the final shot, which Jackson took and missed, and the Riders now go back to Leicester for the second leg down just four. 

The return leg of the semi-final will be played in Leicester on December 22, with both sides vying to progress to the final in the Utilita Arena Birmingham in January. 

You can get tickets to the second leg here!

Leicester Riders turn their attention to Trophy action, heading to Newcastle to take on the Eagles in the first leg of the semi-finals.

The sides have shared the stage for some of the most consequential battles in British basketball over the past decade, as they now prepare once again to suit up in the biggest games of the season thus far.

READ MORE: Leicester Riders vs Newcastle Eagles- The history

The Riders and Eagles have established a reputation as not only two of countries’ premiere clubs in recent history, but this season as well.

Here’s how this mammoth fixture is shaping up…

Riders back on track

After going undefeated through the Trophy group phase in October, the Riders suffered their first two defeats of the season back to back against Sheffield Sharks three weeks ago. 

The losses meant last weekend was pivotal for getting the season back on the rails ahead of a packed Christmas schedule, and a Trophy semi-final awaiting the team the following week. 

The Riders responded emphatically with a 2-0 weekend, beating Manchester Basketball at home before holding on for an impressive win against Cheshire Phoenix on the road. The Riders look back to their best with the back-to-back wins, and their star power shining through in the weekend’s action. 

Charles Thompson and Zach Jackson earned Super League Basketball Team of the Week honours from their performances. 

Jackson led the team to a 99-86 win against Manchester with a 20 point performance, and Thompson’s efforts at the rim set the tone against Cheshire, logging 14 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks and a monster jam over Skyler White for the play of the game. 

Now the Riders turn their attention to the red hot Eagles, with only one League loss to their name so far this season. 

Eagles flying high 

Newcastle progressed through their Trophy group with a 5-3 record, earning them second place in the North Group and a semi final against the Riders. 

But since then, the Eagles have gone 4-1 to start their League campaign, with a number of impressive European victories in the ENBL to accompany their League record.

Newcastle enter this tie having won three Championship games on the bounce, most recently hanging on to beat the Cheshire Phoenix as the Riders did. 

The win put them second in the League behind the London Lions, the only team to take a League win against Newcastle so far this season. 

The Eagles’ success early in the year has come from ruthless efficiency from turnovers, leading the League in fastbreak points and field goal percentage. They play lock down defence in order to generate this offence, holding their opponents to the lowest field goal percentage in the League, and have generated the highest offensive rating on the other end.  

Meanwhile Leicester, who play at the slowest pace of any team in British basketball, turn the ball over the least in the League, setting up an intriguing battle between a potent, halfcourt offence and highflying roadrunners. 

One to watch

Newcastle’s Mike Okauru has shown his ability to take over games single-handedly in his introduction to British basketball this season.  

He has a 35 point game to his name this season, draining 8 threes on his way to a season-high performance, and is averaging 18.4 points per game making him a top five scorer in Super League Basketball. 

Okauru, a third year pro after spending his first two professional seasons in Czechia and France, has proven himself as an efficient scorer, and is knocking down his field goal at a 54% clip, and he’s a career best 40% from three. 

The American guard’s threat is predicated on his drives to the rim, both in transition and the pick and roll. Leicester’s rim protection will be pivotal in slowing down his threat driving to the hoop.

His finishing ability opens up the three ball, which he is knocking down at a consistent rate this season, meaning the Riders will need to be locked in on 6’3” Okauru for all 40 minutes. 

Where to watch

The game will be streamed live on DAZN, tipping off at 7:30 pm. You can watch it here!