Friday 17 April 2015 Worcester Wolves 77-67 Leicester Riders

Worcester Wolves will finish third in this year’s British Basketball League after a 77-67 dismissal of an understrength Leicester Riders at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday.

With their runners-up spot in the table already sealed, Leicester coach Rob Paternostro made the decision to rest several of his usual starters, ahead of next weekend’s playoffs. In contrast, his opposite number in Worcester, Paul James,   had no intention of tinkering with his line-up, preferring to stay with the players who had helped equal Wolves’ best-ever league placing.

In only his second game after returning from a lengthy injury-induced spell on the sidelines, centre Robert Thurman demonstrated that he will be an important factor in Wolves’ quest to repeat last year’s Play Off title success, garnering 20 points and ten rebounds. Latest recruit, Lithuanian guard Robertas Bitinas was the home side’s next-highest scorer with 15 points.

The first seven points all went the way of the Riders, before Thurman got Worcester off the mark. With three minutes remaining of the opening period, Wolves still trailed 8-16. However, a rapid-fire trio of baskets from Thurman helped level matters at 16-16 by the period’s close.

A 27-20 cushion was built in the second quarter, before Riders’ playmaker Conner Washington took his team’s next seven points to keep them in the contest.

The initial play of the second half was a three-pointer for veteran Leicester man Yorick Williams. When his fellow forward Pavol Losonsky also connected, the evening was tied at 32-32. From here, Wolves again stepped on the gas. Chavis Holmes found Kalil Irving unmarked for an easy slam and Thurman spun around his much slower counterpart, Barry Lamble, to jam the ball home.

Entering the last quarter, the host’s lead had eased back out to 54-44. Approaching the final minutes of the evening a comfortable 66-58 advantage was still in force, before a brief Leicester revival. Consecutives three-pointers from Washington and from Harrison Gamble brought matters to 66-65 with a couple of minutes to go.

Holmes floated up a pass for Thurman to put through the hoop with authority and Bitinas sunk a triple, quelling any chance of an unlikely Leicester victory.

James was succinct in his appraisal of the match, saying: “We can only beat whoever is in front of us, and that’s what we did.”

While it is already known that Wolves’ first action in the play offs will take place next Friday at the University of Worcester Arena, the name of their opponents will not become clear until all regular season fixtures are completed this Sunday.

James added: “We’ll round out our own fixtures on Sunday at Durham. After that we’ll know who we are going to face from Glasgow, London or Sheffield. We’ll make sure that we’re ready to go versus whoever we come up against.

“It was another great atmosphere tonight, with our third big crowd in a row. It’s so inspiring to look around and see every seat in the stands taken and more seating being set up. It’s a special environment we’re creating now in Worcester for a brilliant Friday night out.”