Riders back on a winning track after Abbey success

WBBL Championship
Barking Abbey Crusaders 66 (19,28,40) (Wilkinson 32, Gaskin 9, Brantlova 6)
Leicester Riders 70 (20,33,46) (Livermore 23, McGarrachan 17, Winterburn 7)

Leicester Riders bounced back from yesterday’s defeat with a 66-70 win on the road at Barking Abbey Crusaders, despite 32 points from Savannah Wilkinson.

The victory – Leicester’s eighth of the league campaign – sees them move back into the top four with Erika Livermore leading the way with another double-double.

Livermore finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Erin McGarrachan added a 17-point haul including nine early in the fourth.

Wilkinson scored her side’s first 15 points in the contest, but it was the visitors who edged ahead at the end of the opening period. Barking Abbey fell further behind early in the second before getting back on level terms at 26-26.

However, a 7-0 response from the Riders gave them the advantage heading into the interval and they were able increase their lead to double digits behind nine points from Livermore in the third.

A 9-0 run across quarters saw the home side cut the gap at 44-46 before the Riders opened up a 12-point lead. Another fightback followed, but the Crusaders fell short with Mollie Campbell’s late basket sealing the win.