Leicester Riders are now just virtually one win away from the BBL title after a stunning overtime win in Manchester took their unbeaten streak in the league to 14 games.
Jay Couisnard forced OT with a THREE on the buzzer after Leicester had trailed the Giants by as many as 20 points before nailing the game-winner with another clutch triple at the death. The BBL Cup Final MVP led the way with 31 points as the Riders battled on in the absence of Zaire Taylor and Jorge Calvo.
STAT:
.@ridersbball were 1/18 from 3PT range before making three consecutive triples to force OT. #theBBL
— Buzzer Beater (@Buzzer_BeaterUK) March 24, 2013
24 hours earlier, Rob Paternostro’s men continued their perfect home record in the league this season with their 13th win on their home floor, beating the Glasgow Rocks 84-71. Leicester used a strong third quarter as a platform for their success and were led by a 24 point haul from Drew Sullivan.
Another benefactory of the Leicester win against Manchester were the Sheffield Sharks – who became the seventh team to qualify for the play-offs. However, Newcastle now have to beat Worcester on Tuesday to avoid losing their crown despite wins over Durham (96-92) and Mersey (92-69) this weekend despite the absence of Kareem Maddox and Damon Huffman.
The battle for the top four intensified over the weekend with Plymouth and Surrey doing double-duty to capitalise on Glasgow‘s loss to Leicester and Worcester‘s double blow. The Raiders claimed third with a 98-92 win in Cheshire following a 93-79 victory at home to the Tigers on Friday. Javarris Barnett had a 28 point showing against the Phoenix, who were already out of contention for the play-offs after a loss to Surrey two days earlier.
It was a good weekend for Surrey as they bounced back from successive defeats last week to record a double victory. Travis Holmes continued his fine run of form with a 30 point haul in the 108-84 home win against Cheshire and a game-high 26 in Durham when the Heat won 99-87 in front of the Sky cameras.
STAT: Travis Holmes has now scored 100 points in his last three games for Surrey following a 44 point haul last Sunday.
The weekend was nearly a Giant one for Manchester before their heart-breaking loss against Leicester on Sunday. Jeff Jones’ side are still in the hunt for the play-offs after they pulled off an impressive 91-82 in Worcester as David Watts returned to haunt his former side with 29 points. The Wolves had seen their seven game win streak come to an end the day before when Sheffield continued their own win streak with a 78-73 success after a strong first half.
Buzzer-Beater 