Leicester Riders’ fourth quarter shut out against London Lions sees them extend their advantage at the top of the BBL Championship table

Credit: London Lions

London Lions and Leicester Riders played out an excellent BBL Championship game in front of the Sky Sports cameras as an excellent final quarter from the league leaders saw them secure the win.

Following the midweek European defeat, London Lions Coach James Vear looked to get back on track in the league following a stuttered start. However, Rob Paternostro’s unbeaten Riders had other ideas.

The first half saw Leicester throwing for more field goals, with London converting more from downtown. Lorenzo Cugini was the standout man for the Lions with accurate field goals giving him 15 first half points.

After a nip and tuck third quarter, the fourth was dominated by Mo Walker and Patrick Whelan, who scored 10 between them.

Ultimately, the difference between the two sides was discipline and shooting accuracy. Not only did the Riders make almost 10% more of their field goals, but the Lions committed 22 personal fouls in comparison to Leicester’s 10. Consequently, the Riders went to the free throw line more frequently, allowing them to keep the score ticking over.

Also, Leicester defended stoutly and forced London into shooting from way downtown more often than not, protecting the paint to great effect.

Similarly to midweek, London struggled with transitional defence off the turnover ball, subsequently gifting Leicester a number of easy lay-ups.

Frustratingly for James Vear, the Lions failed to make a bucket for eight and a half minutes at the pivotal time, ultimately allowing the game to slip away from them. On a positive note, London’s Julian Washburn scored 12 points alongside making a whopping 13 rebounds.

The London Lions will have to eradicate such inaccurate shooting before they face the Manchester Giants in the BBL Trophy with the Mancunians a team that scores frequently.

Likewise, the Leicester Riders will also face the Giants in their next fixture but will get a more sizeable break of a week prior to the BBL Championship fixture.

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