Riders close the gap on Wildcats with important win.

WBBL Championship
Leicester Riders 66 (20,40,60) (McGarrachan 13, Smith/Winterburn 11)
Nottingham Wildcats 63 (9,37,49) (Harris 24, Mendes 14, Ferreira 10)

Leicester Riders edged closer to Nottingham Wildcats at the top of the table after recording an important 66-63 victory.

Matt Harber’s side bounced back from their Trophy Final disappointment to improve to a 10-5 record – just a win behind the Wildcats.

The home side scored 20 points in each of the first three quarters before being held to six in the fourth, but they managed to withstand Nottingham’s late surge.

Erin McGarrachan top scored with 13 points with three other players in double figures, while Erika Livermore contributed eight points and 11 rebounds.

After an even start, the Riders closed the first on a 10-0 run before leading by as many as 17 at 28-11 in the second.

Nottingham recovered well with Ashley Harris scoring 12 in the period to help her side close to within one prior to Livermore’s late basket ended the half.

The visitors moved ahead early in the third before another strong finish put the Riders up 11.

The Wildcats held their opponents to two points in the last six minutes, but their comeback fell just short as they suffer their second league defeat and drop to 11-2, despite 24 points and 17 rebounds from Harris.