First-quarter
Leicester dictated the pace of the game from early on which resulted in DeAndre Liggins getting two early fouls in attempts to slow down the barrage.
The Lions looked bemused with the onslaught they were facing and called a timeout halfway through the first quarter. The Riders, as well as scoring with ease, were defensibly sound on the other end. William Lee of the Riders limited the Lions of second-chance opportunities with his three rebounds to end the first quarter.
The Lions were glad to hear the buzzer at the end of the quarter, a result of poor shooting saw them go 5/19 from the field, 13-20 Riders.
Second Quarter
The start of the second quarter saw a different Lions take the court. A positive approach enabled them to cut the Riders lead to just a single point with four minutes to go in the first half. This was down to efficiently playing defensive, they were able to suffocate their opponents in the paint and minimized their shooting.
The first half finished 30-36 in favour of the Rider’s stand-out player William Lee. He finished the first half with 11 points, leading both teams in scoring.
Lee’s matchups seemed to be pleasing the Riders as they kept feeding him down low and letting him go to work.
Lions big man’s Fahro Alihodzic’s presence was felt with five points and nine rebounds, which provided some security for the Lions. His rebounding was the factor that stopped the Riders from extending their lead by a lot more heading into the second half.
Plenty of turnovers in the first half saw both teams totaling 14 turnovers to finish the first two quarters.
Third Quarter
Dirk Williams set the tempo in the opening of the second half, scoring in back-to-back possessions. A stunning dunk by Orland Parker capped off what seemed to be a shift in momentum
The Riders however answered with their own back-to-back possession scores from a strong drive to the bucket by Darien Nelson-henry and a pull-up, mid-range jumper from Corey Johnson.
Williams was the guy from the London side that stepped up, finishing the third with 15 points from some very flashy play that would have had the home crowd on their feet.
For the first time in the game the Lions seemed to be pushing the pace and running the game for an extended period of time. Coach Vince Macaulay had to be pleased in the team huddle. Lions entered the fourth with the lead, 51-52.
Fourth Quarter
Lions played the full-court press early on in the fourth which paid off for them as the Riders shooters were missing shots that they would normally hit, but how long could the Lions rely on Riders to give them the game?
Almost half-way in the quarter both teams ran into a wall when it came to finding the bucket. Lions could not extend the two-point lead and the Riders could not cut the lead.
Some undisciplined bit of play by the home team saw the Riders get the lead back with a few free-throws, 57-58.
After that scoring stalemate in the fourth, both teams were switching leads on almost every possession. The score was tied, 69-69 with a little over a minute left, the game needed a hero, the Lions needed a hero.
Nelson-Henry made it 69-71 with a couple of free-throws and all signs pointed towards Dirk Williams to take the game by the scruff of the neck and win it for the Lions.
A big three-pointer by Josh Ward-Hibbert in the corner gave London the lead and a massive strip in the transition from Justin Robinson on Geno Crandall gave Lions the ball right back with 20 seconds to go and a single point lead.
The ex-Leicester Rider Josh Ward-Hibbert iced the game with a couple of late free-throws and gave Vince Macaulay’s team the three-point lead just before grabbing the rebound on a potential game-tying shot from Crandall.
The game finished 76-71, in favor of the London side that was chasing the visitors for most of the game.
Rising Easts player of the game
Dirk Williams, the man finished with 15 points and single handily kept the Lions in the game in the third quarter which kept them in the game for long enough for his teammates to shake off their rust and come together to win a tough one.
