London United end losing streak

London United broke their five-match losing streak in style with a victory over Leicester Riders for the fourth time this season, reports Ronan Murphy

After being trounced by league leaders Sheffield last Friday, United needed to get themselves back in to play-off contention. Leicester were arriving triumphant after a good win over Chester Jets, but a fine all round performance from United brought them back down to earth.
Yet again, United’s talisman Tarick Johnson led the line. At the start of the match he received the official BBL award for Player of the Month. He confirmed his status as the hottest marksman in the league with another top scoring display, as he ran in thirty points.
Once again he received admirable support from Marlin Capers. The two combined to make crucial breakthroughs in the second quarter, scoring most of the points in a 20-2 burst that left United in control for the rest of the game. Despite the Riders clawing back to within five points by half time, United were able to maintain a healthy advantage.
The Riders proved to be resilient opponents, with centre Andrew Alleyne equalling Johnson in the points scoring stakes, also netting thirty. Alleyne dominated the net at both ends, achieving seven defensive rebounds and eleven offensive ones. His ten first-quarter points cancelled out an early surge from United that saw LaTyrell Williams and Junior Williams hit three triple-pointers between them. Leicester edged into a 25-24 lead before being pegged back in the second quarter.
The second half of the match saw the Riders fail to move any closer than five points to their opponents. Valuable contributions from Bryant Feggins and Steve Ogunjimni kept United ahead until they finished with an 89-81 victory.
The win means United move above Leicester in the league table. Both sides have identical win-loss records overall, but United’s superiority over the Riders in their head to head match-ups sees them better placed in the standings. This leaves them well placed to make a late charge for the play-offs in the last five games of the season.

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