BBL Game Report: Leicester Riders 107 Surrey United 36
The Leicester Riders continued their strong start to the season whilst compounding the woes of a win-less Surrey United team on Saturday night with an emphatic 107-36 win.
Rob Paternostro has a well drilled roster. With every player in a Leicester jersey all saying the same: “Defence wins championships”
After holding yet another team to less than 45 points it’s hard to argue with the East Midlands side’s philosophy.
Starting Fives
Leicester: Couisnard, Rowe, Sullivan, Hassan, Downing
Surrey: Felix, Kucinskas, Tatham-Nunn, Sijanas, Dusha
The Riders were dominant from the beginning on both ends of the floor, pressuring the Surrey PG Dusha into making a sloppy pass which Couisnard punished them for with a fast-break lay-up. Things went from back to worse just two minutes into the game with yet another turnover resulting in a Sullivan dunk which got the crowd on their feet.
The full court press suffocated a lacklustre Surrey attack, big man Kucinskas tried to post up twice in the quarter missing both times whilst a rampant Leicester offence was in full flow. Downing showed off his passing ability finding Sullivan for the alley-oop and followed it up with a sweet lay up making the score 9-2.
The fast paced full flowing style Riders came out playing suited Connor Washington’s game as he came on mid way through the quarter scoring one of the most bizarre baskets you’ll see in the BBL this season – with Surrey in possession of the ball they threw yet another wayward pass, bouncing clearly out of bounds on the half way line before hitting the half court referee and bouncing back in court towards the hoop. Washington was first to the bizarre loose ball and finished a simple lay-up.
Leicester didn’t need freak plays to boost their chances of winning, they ended the quarter up a staggering 24-4, on pace to limit Surrey to 16 at that stage. United turned the ball over 11 times in the first quarter alone.
To open up the second quarter Harrison Gamble sunk a 3 to stretch their lead to 27-4, Gamble went on to make 4/5 from beyond the arc during the game. Paternostro’s relentless defensive press continued to dominate an undersized and inexperienced Surrey team, Sullivan hooked up with Downing once again, passing to the rookie PG finishing at the rim to make it 33-4 just 14 minutes into the game.
Surrey managed to finally put a few points on the board matching Leicester 5-5 thanks to a Dusha three pointer and a Felix lay-up but the errors were still noticeable and hard to watch from a fan’s point of view, Riders never took their foot off the pedal and never ‘emptied the bench’, because their entire roster is stocked with quality, Leicester went in at Half time 49-15 up.
United had 18 turnovers at the half and despite a 34 point lead, not a single Riders player had reached double digit scoring heading into the 3rd quarter.
The third period was Surrey’s best, not that they cut the lead, in fact Leicester further increased by a considerable margin, but Jack Majewski’s men actually started showing some output on the offensive end.
Kucinskas showed a real attacking threat in the first half and if it weren’t for some questionable officiating he probably would’ve gone to line a lot more. The big man’s domineering, physical style of play started to pay off though scoring seven points, especially when matched up against Leicester team vet Barry Lamble.
Riders didn’t stop; Downing showed his poise in running the back-court dishing an assist for yet another fast break Couisnard layup. The two roommates have a clear on court connection and played a big role in the Riders defence on the night.
Gamble sunk yet another three and Washington continued his remarkable performance with a drive to the hoop to end the 3rd quarter leading the game 77-32.
Surrey had over two-thirds of their points on the night in the paint proving that the post match up was mainly where they getting some success, if any. Surprisingly though the United team managed to go a whole quarter without a turnover.
The fourth quarter proved to be a highlight reel display for Leicester though. Impressive blocks from Sullivan and Hassan early on in the 4th was representative of the defending champions dominance. Tatham-Nunn and Felix were left watching another crushing league defeat from the bench after fouling out of the game.
Gamble continued his run from outside the arc stretching the lead further and Washington didn’t let up against inferior opposition en route to a 107-38 victory with Surrey only managing to score six points in the final quarter.
MVP
Young point guard, Connor Washington, had an amazing game. Top scoring with 16 points, dishing out the most assists (5) and making the most steals (5) capped of a stellar display on both end of the court. With Washington, Calvo, Downing, Couisnard and Levi Noel in the roster it’s unsurprising that the coach has elected on numerous occasions to go for the three guard line-up.
Next up
Leicester Riders at home to Glasgow Rocks, Saturday 26th October, 7:30pm tip-off, John Sandford Centre
Surrey United at home to Plymouth Raiders, Sunday 20th October, 3:00pm tip-off, Surrey Sports Park
