BBL: Riders tame Wildcats
Leicester keep heat on Newcastle at BBL Championship summit
Last Updated: February 12, 2012 9:57pm
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders kept up the heat on Newcastle Eagles at the top of the BBL Championship table with a 97-69 victory over Durham Wildcats.
The Riders led from tip to buzzer against the league's bottom side, with the decisive burst coming in the second quarter as Bradd Wierzbicki scored nine points in an 18-5 run.
Some tight Riders defence at the start of the third quarter resulted in just two points for the Wildcats in the opening seven minutes as Leicester put the result beyond doubt at 65-39.
The result leaves the Wildcats still looking for a first franchise win against the East Midlands outfit.
UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders also kept their title hopes alive as they claimed a 84-78 win over the One Health Sharks Sheffield, leaving them fourth in the table just behind the Riders.
Former Shark Paul Williams returned to haunt his former club with an impressive double-double as he notched 25 points and 18 rebounds.
The figures included four points and a steal in a 7-0 final quarter run that finally saw off some dogged Sharks resistance. Sheffield's Jimmy Langhurst led all scorers with 31 points.
Elsewhere, Mersey Tigers managed without suspended head coach Tony Garbelotto to secure their fourth BBL Championship win of the season with a 82-77 victory over Guildford Heat.
The Heat shot a woeful 8 of 42 from the field in the first half as the Tigers took control 39-26 by the interval.
Guildford left themselves too much to do after the impressive Tigers opened the third quarter with an 18-4 run that killed the game off. The Heat's Martelle McLemore was the game's leading scorer with 17 points.
In the final game of Sunday evening, Cheshire Jets took a share of eighth spot with the Heat after an 85-76 win over the Prestige Homes MK Lions.
Jets' Adam Brown recorded an impressive double-double (31 points and 10 rebounds) as his side got edged in front by scoring the final 9 points of the first quarter.
A similar run ended the first half, giving them a 42-30 advantage at the interval.
The Lions recovered to get back within reach but Brown bagged five points in a 7-0 run that effectively ended the tie at 72-54 with six minutes remaining.
