Following a bitterly disappointing 59-55 defeat on the road to Leicester, Caledonia Gladiators are set to host the Riders, playing them for the second time in seven days as the Ben Stanley-coached side visits PlaySport for the first time.
In the sides’ first matchup last weekend, Leicester came out on top as Gladiators were disappointed not to pick up a victory. The day’s hosts were well-deserved winners with a solid team performance as Gladiators struggled to get a positive result. A solid all-round performance from Taylor O’Brien, particularly in the first quarter, took Leicester to victory, while Laken James led all scorers with 19 points, to go alongside six rebounds and a couple of assists.
The last time Leicester visited Scotland was last season, knocking the Gladiators out of the Women’s British Basketball League playoffs at the semi-final stage on their way to a finals matchup with eventual winners, London Lions at the O2. Then, the sides looked different, with Gladiators’ Kirsty Brown and Hannah Robb playing in red and Krumesh Patel at the Riders’ helm, before moving this season to the EuroCup Women-winning London Lions.
With the loss last week, this game now proves to be a massive one for Caledonia Gladiators as they look to secure the second spot in the league and head into the playoffs with momentum. As it stands, the sides have both played 18 games, and have an equal record of 15-3. Depending on other results across the Championship, the winner of the matchup will likely head into the playoffs as the #2 seed and take home advantage in the one-legged first-round game against the #7 seed.
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