Game Report: Leicester Riders 94-79 Manchester Giants

On superhero night at the Morningside Arena, the Leicester Riders donned their cape and put together a heroic team effort to vanquish the Manchester Giants.

Six players reached double figures, led by 17 points from Miryne Thomas and 16 from TJ Lall as the Riders beat Manchester 94-79 in the British Basketball League on Saturday.

Nicolas Lewis led all scorers in vain for the Giants with 22 points.

Starting Five

Leicester Riders starting five: Kimbal Mackenzie, Miryne Thomas, TJ Lall, Mo Walker, Jaren Holmes
Manchester Giants starting five: Legend Robertin, Jalen Harris, William Lee, Jamell Anderson, Nicolas Lewis

First Half

From the start, Leicester were feeling it from three-point range, going 3/4 in the first two minutes of play en route to hitting eight from 18 attempts from deep in the first half.

Manchester were able to attack the basket and get points on the board, but the Riders were on form, as a score from close range by Lall gave the hosts their first double-digit lead at 18-8.

Despite the Giants’ best efforts, the Riders got whatever they needed both inside and out, shooting 55% from the field, leading 29-11.

It was a tough first ten minutes for Manchester, missing a lot under the basket and desperate to find a rhythm in the second.

Unfortunately, it didn’t materialise in the second, as Manchester, coming off a physical encounter last night against Plymouth City Patriots, piled on the turnovers in the first three minutes.

However, the visitors were able to get Riders in the penalty and get points at the foul line, as a short-handed Leicester outfit were a little more lenient on defence.

Manchester got a three to go on the half-time buzzer from Lewis, but the hosts still led 52-36 at the break.

Second Half

A solid finish to the first half gave the Giants some hope going into the third, and the signs looked promising as back-to-back scores narrowed the gap to 52-40.

But the Riders were calm and composed in an otherwise scrappy ten minutes, maintaining their double-digit advantage.

However, as they did at the end of the second, Manchester finished strong, and a three towards the end from Evan Walshe trimmed the deficit from 21 points down to 68-57.

Indeed, an interesting final period looked to be on the cards. But Kimbal Mackenzie had other ideas.

The fan favourite started the fourth with two straight triples to create some distance again at 76-59, and when veteran Conner Washington hit three minutes into the quarter, there was no way back for Manchester.

Player of the Game

It was tough to pick a Player of the Game as six Riders players hit double figures. The stand out though was TJ Lall, who racked up 16 points on 6/10 shooting, to go with eight rebounds, and he collected the individual accolade.