23rd February 2008 Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 61-74 Marshall MK Lions

BBL Championship Match Preview

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The Marshall MK Lions forced themselves back into the top four, whilst avenging a defeat in the East Midlands that effectively knocked them out of the BBL Trophy competition last month, as they beat the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders by 61-74.

Tony Windless scored 17 points, whilst former Rider Yorick Williams had 15, and Dru Spinks added 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Riders could not rely on anyone for a big score as Chad McKnight was the only player to score in double figures with 10 points.

Windless opened the game with the first 5 points, before the Riders hit back-to-back buckets and the teams remained close. That was broken by a McKnight triple that made the score 13-9, before the hosts finished with a 6-2 run for a 19-13 first quarter lead.

However, the Riders scored just 2 points in the first 7:00 of the second period in what was a 21-2 burst; Windless added a further 7 points during that period. Leicester found their range late in the quarter as McKnight and Joel Burns made a three-pointer each, but they found themselves trailing by 29-36.

A pair of triples from Kevin Griffin contributed towards a 15-2 push in the third quarter as the Lions stretched the lead out to 31-51. The Riders would not lie down as they rattled off 11 consecutive points late in the quarter, and soon afterwards Burns hit a triple on the buzzer to give his team a chance at 47-56 going into the fourth.

Further long-range shooting sealed it for the Lions as Yorick Williams connected twice from beyond the arc early in the fourth quarter, and with the lead at 52-64, the Riders never threatened down the stretch.

Stats Corner: Riders Lions

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