Heat push Riders to the buzzer
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders beat the Guildford Heat in dramatic fashion 77-79 in an action packed match at the Surrey Sports Park on Saturday night. The game went right to the wire with the Heat finding themselves so close, yet so far.
Cameron Rundles stole the Heats thunder and prevented overtime with 7 seconds to go of regular game time. Another win for the Riders.
A physical game from the start, the Heat looked far from a team that was 0-3 going into the Championship game against an undefeated Riders side, sitting second in the table.
The Heat started strong with Tayo Ogedengbe netting 4 of their opening points as they lead 6-0 in the opening minutes, however an immediate response from an Andrew Sullivan 3 pointer sparked a Riders run as the lead changed hands to 6-11.
End to end action took the game to 12-17 at the end of the first quarter to the disappointment of the Heat s very vocal, home fans.
The second quarter saw the Riders run continue as the visiting team stretched their lead to 17-25, however the Heat were hot on their tails and with the help of their supporters, took the lead back going into half time. The Heat on the up 39-32!
With their foot well and truly on the gas, the Heat emerged from the locker room ready to extend their lead. That they did, with baskets from Julius Joseph and Tayo Ogedegebe. The home side maintained the lead for the opening period 41-34, however Riders and in form guard Cameron Rundles had other ideas as yet again another Riders run of 16-2 (8 personal points for Rundles) broke the Heat s lead 43-50.
It was hotting up at Surrey Sports Park, and didn t the crowd know it! The atmosphere was electric as the Heat supporters Made Some Noise and got behind their team. The 3rd quarter ended all square 53-53, could this be the break coach Creon Raftopoulos and his Heat side needed?!!
The fourth quarter saw the Riders struggle when it came to free throws, usually a strong point you began to think the animated and tough home crowd may have been having an effect on them. As the two sides continued to trade baskets, it began to look a strong possibility this firework night showdown may enter overtime.
As the Heat pushed on 66-65 the visitors saw an injured Ayron Hardy leave the court after 5 personal fouls. The Molton Player of the Month for October was out the game with 12 points.
With 11 seconds left of regular time, Riders coach Rob Paternostro made the most of his time outs as they were crucial in what was to happen next.
The dying seconds of the game saw basketball at its best with a 3 pointer from Julius Joseph pulling them back to 77-77. The Heat and the home crowd believed they were about to take the unbeaten Riders into overtime, however Leicester had other plans.
The final time out was called by Paternostro with just 7 seconds remaining. The Heat s fire was finally put out on the buzzer by a Cameron Rundles 2, giving him 30 personal points and the team a huge win on the road for the Leicester Riders.
A cruel end to a great display from the Guildford Heat. Promising performances included lead point scorer Tayo Ogedengbe and Mike Martin. However it was the Riders that ironically, were just too hot to handle!!
Guildford Heat: 77 (12,39,53) (Ogedengbe 26, Joseph 20, Martin 12)
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders: 79 (20,35,53) (Rundles 30, Wierzbicki 16, Hardy 12)
