Riders win on the road whilst Giants edge out…

BBL Championship
B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 62-100 Leicester Riders (20-24, 34-57,46-77)
(Sharks – Ratinho 21, Nichols 13, Tuck 7; Riders – Nelson-Henry 19, Adekoya 15, Walker 14)

BBL Championship
Manchester Giants 88-82 Newcastle Eagles (20-23, 40-40, 67-63)
(Giants – Clark 19, Armstrong 16, Saunders 16; Eagles – Person Jr 17, Johnson 16, Defoe 14)

Leicester Riders picked up a straightforward win against the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks and Manchester Giants edged out Newcastle Eagles in an entertaining Sunday evening of BBL action.

In the evening’s early tip-off, Sharks got off to a good start against a talented Riders side. The home side only trailed by four after a competitive first quarter that saw them go 24-20 behind.

Riders, however, showed why they sit at the top of the BBL Championship in the second quarter. They scored a massive 33 points and limited their opponents to just 14 in the period to open up a sizable 57-34 lead at the halftime break.

The away side added a more modest 20 points in the third and then added a further 23 points in the last to hit triple digits and wrap up a comprehensive 100-62 victory.

Darien Nelson-Henry led the scoring charts in a double-double performance of 19 points and 11 rebounds for Riders whilst Jordan Ratinho was Sharks best player with a game-high 21 points.

The National Basketball Performance Centre was the venue for the evening’s late tip-off with Manchester Giants hosting Newcastle Eagles.

Much like the day’s first match, the sides could barely be separated after an exciting opening quarter. It was Eagles that held a slender 23-20 lead after the first.

Giants responded well in the second, outscoring their opponents 20-17 in the period to tie the game 40-40 at the halftime break and set up a nail-biting second half.

Giants were able to open up a slender four-point lead going into the final quarter as they scored 27 points and limited Eagles to 23 to lead 67-63.

Eagles fought until the very end and reduced the deficit to just two points late into the final quarter, but Giants held on to secure a six-point win.

Dan Clark finished with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds in a superb double-double performance for Giants. For Eagles, Wesley Person Jr contributed a team-high 17 points.