BBL: Riders hold off Force; Phoenix comeback stuns Wildcats; Rocks add to Flyers' woes
Last Updated: 11/11/14 7:00am
Leicester Riders moved to within two points of the BBL summit after a hard-fought victory over Leeds Force.
Leeds went into the match with just one win to their name, but they moved into a shock 39-33 lead at the half way point.
Leicester regained control thereafter, though, and, with the help of Neil Watson, who scored 21 points, they ran out 71-62 winners.
The win propels Leicester up to second, just two points shy of leaders Newcastle.
Cheshire Phoenix came from 16 points behind to defeat Durham Wildcats 83-79 in a nail-biting clash at the Northgate Arena.
After a tight first quarter which Durham only just edged, mainly due to some fine work from Croatian Fran Urli, Phoenix were on the front foot and threatened to blow the game open during the second period.
BBL Championship Results
Cheshire Phoenix 83-79 Durham Wildcats
Glasgow Rocks 107-82Bristol Flyers
Leicester Riders 71-62 Leeds Force
Taylor King and ex-NBA man Julius Hodge both looked dangerous as the hosts asserted their authority and managed to rack up an eye-catching 30 points in the second quarter.
That facilitated a healthy double-figure lead at the break and when Mike DiNunno made it 54-38, it looked to be all over for Wildcats, but the visitors launched an impressive rescue mission to set up nerve-shredding finale, only for the Phoenix to fight back and clinch victory.
And in Sunday's other match, Bristol Flyers' wretched form continued as they lost 107-82 to Glasgow Rocks.
American guard JaJuan Smith did the most damage for the Rocks with 22 points as Bristol succumbed to a fifth defeat in six matches.
A blistering opening ten minutes set the Rocks firmly on the road to victory after they caught fire early and poured in a massive 32 points to take a 13-point lead at the end of the first period.
Perhaps feeling the effects of their win over Sharks the previous night, the Flyers struggled to keep pace and Rocks doubled their score as player-coach Sterling Davis made it 38-19.
With the hosts rampant, the visitors did then rally to cut the gap to eleven at the break, but the Rocks piled on the agony en route to a comprehensive triumph.