Basketball: Thrilling finale as Leicester Riders lift Cup
Leicester Riders clinched their first piece of silverware in 12 years after a nail-biting win in the BBL Cup final at the NIA in Birmingham.
Riders held on for dear life through a nervy final quarter to defeat reigning champions Newcastle Eagles 85-80 yesterday in their first appearance in the BBL Cup final.
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Rob Paternostro and Riders players celebrate success
Both sides went blow-for-blow in the first quarter but Riders went into the first break 20-17 in front, thanks largely to two three-pointers from Great Britain captain Drew Sullivan and one from Jamell Anderson.
Eagles kept missing chances in the second quarter and Riders made them pay, extending their lead to 45-36 at half-time.
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But Newcastle are the holders of all four domestic honours for a reason and came back strong in the second half.
However, three three-pointers from Jay Couisnard gave Riders a 65-51 lead going into the final quarter.
An incredible onslaught from Newcastle gave them the lead for the first time at 80-78 with a minute to go.
But a three-pointer from Zaire Taylor made it 82-80 to Riders with 30 seconds to go.
Newcastle looked to draw level but an incredible last-gasp block from Sullivan saw Riders keep hold of their lead and two free-throws from Jorge Calvo, and one from Anthony Rowe, secured a historic win.
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