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The Lions continue their hot form away from the capital – beating the Riders to the finish line in Leicester.
The reigning British Basketball League champions had three players with 20+ points, with the team scoring over 100 points at the Morningside Arena.
The victory was an important one for Petar Božić and his side, who lost their perfect record last week against the Plymouth City Patriots. However, after a crucial victory in Spain 48 hours before – the Lions edged past the Riders in a game that was eventually decided in the fourth quarter.
The opening 10 minutes of the game saw plenty of action as both teams found their rhythm. The visitors, however, looked the stronger of the two teams despite Leicester’s resilience to reduce to deficit to four points heading into the second quarter.
From here, the home side continued to show fight by knocking down a range of shots from behind the arc. Jaren Holmes – who had 18 points with eight assists on the night – was one of the players firing for the Riders.
The Lions had just 12 turnovers in the Midlands. However, one arrived in the dying seconds of the first half as Caleb Ashberry punished the league leaders with a steal and an easy conversion. As a result, the two teams went into the half-time break with just three points separating them.
Three minutes into the third quarter, the Riders continued to seek the benefits of their quick hands by turning another steal into an Ashberry dunk. This one, however, was of more significance as it put the Riders ahead in the game.
The home side were playing good basketball - the only issue was that their opposition was too. In a tip and tuck affair, just one point stood between the two sides with a crucial 10 minutes left on the clock.
The Lions, who had three losses in their previous five games, have an incredible road record this season and showed their quality when it mattered most in the game. A quick burst of points from guard Luke Nelson ignited a hot spell for London who went on to score 28 in the fourth quarter.
Jaren Holmes and his team kept within arm’s reach in the game until the remaining 45 seconds, where veteran Jordan Taylor sunk an all-important mid-range shot to mark his team’s 13th league victory in the 14 that they’ve played.
The Lions will look to make it a hattrick of road victories as they conclude their spell away from the Copper Box against Besiktas on Wednesday November 15th.
Watch the highlights from Leicester Riders vs London Lions here.
