Riders impress in televised outing.
WBBL Championship
Leicester Riders 82-71 Nottingham Wildcats (22-17, 49-31, 66-51)
Leicester Riders produced a strong display to see off Nottingham Wildcats in front of the BBC Sport cameras.
Krumesh Patel’s side move level on 12 wins at the top alongside Sevenoaks Suns as WBBL action returns following the international break.
Leading scorers – Smith 27, Hayward 15, McGarrachan 11 (Riders) – Lovett 19, Harris 17, Prior 13 (Wildcats)
Turning point – Leicester pulled clear with a dominant 20-4 spell to open the second period. The visitors trailed by as many as 25 in the contest, but did rally to close within single figures late on.
Key stat – The Riders found their range early on, shooting 7 of 11 from 3-point range to establish control in the first half before finishing with 11 triples.
Game hero(es) – Alex Smith poured in 27 points to lead the Riders to victory with Jamila Thompson posting a double-double of 13 rebounds and 10 assists.