Friday 05 April 2013 – Worcester Wolves vs Leicester Riders

The battle for BBL Championship points continues when Worcester Wolves host newly-crowned champions Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders at the University of Worcester on Friday (tip off 7.30pm).

Riders are assured of the head-to-head series between the two sides this season, having won 79-61 at home in October and 89-82 when the sides again met in Leicester in January. The two teams also had a titanic battle in the BBL Trophy semi-final with Riders winning 82-73 before a 68-66 victory for the Wolves the following day wasn’t enough to prevent the Leicester side going through to the final.

Riders lead the all-time series between the clubs 17-7 and have won seven of the last ten meetings.
Wolves’ coach Paul James believes that Leicester have proved to the best team in the BBL this season: “The Riders have shown and proved to be the most consistent team this season by winning the Championship. Their strength is in the team and the work ethic they show week in, week out.”

James is looking for a repeat on that performance which saw Wolves go agonisingly close to reaching the BBL Trophy final: “We competed well in every area last time we played them and we will need to reach this level of performance again.”
Leicester centre Anthony Rowe expects a battle in Worcester: “We played them in the Trophy, and they’re big and tough. They’re finding some form and they’re not an easy team to beat. We need to execute well and match them physically. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have some more battles with them in the post-season.”

Riders’ coach Rob Paternostro rates Worcester highly: “The Wolves have plenty of talent; they do a nice job of spreading out the defence and getting good shots from both the interior and the perimeter. They are a challenging team to defend.”