Riders overcome Sharks in tight encounter

BBL Championship

B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 80-72 Leicester Riders (30-21, 42-43, 57-55)

(Sharks – Anderson 14, Nichols 11, Ratinho 11; Riders – Loving 23, Crandall 20, Walker 17)

Leicester Riders beat B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 80-72 in a thrilling BBL encounter on Sunday Evening.

Sharks settled into the game quicker than Riders and after a fast-paced opening quarter, they led their opponents by nine points with the score at 30-21.

Riders, however, hit back in the second. The away side outscored Sharks 22-12 in the period to overturn the deficit and take a narrow one-point lead of 43-42 into the half-time break.

The tide turned again in the third quarter. Sharks responded well to Riders second quarter and battled back to take a 57-55 lead into the last and set up a nail-biting finale.

Despite a spirited Sharks comeback, it was Riders that would kick on late in the fourth and take a 80-72 win back to Leicester.

Marc Loving finished with a game-high 23 points for Riders, whilst Geno Crandall narrowly missed out on a double-double performance with 20 points and nine assists. For Sharks, Aaron Anderson finished with a team high 14 points.