Riders close the gap on the top two with win over Durham.
WBBL Championship
Leicester Riders 91-84 Durham Palatinates (31-22, 53-43, 81-66)
Leicester Riders held off a resilient Durham Palatinates side to continue their winning run in the WBBL Championship.
The home side completed a double-winning weekend to move to 7-1 as they go level on points with Sevenoaks Suns in second.
Leading scorers – Kate Oliver 29, Dee Hayward 14, Holly Winterburn 13 (Riders) – Monika Bosilj 33, Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby 16, Rudiane Eduardo 12 (Palatinates)
Turning point – The Riders hit the ground running with 31 points in the opening 10 minutes and increased their lead to 15 by the end of the third. Durham continued to fight and reduced their areas into single figures before coming up short.
Key stat – Leicester kept their turnovers to just seven in the contest and profited with 14 points off of their opponents’ turnovers, whilst converting 51% of their 2-point field goals.
Game hero(es) – Oliver had another starring role for the Riders with 29 points with Hayward and Winterburn combining to add a further 27 in support, while Brea Elmore had 10 points, seven rebounds and nine assists in the win.